Sometimes celebrities spin yarns that are almost too good to be true. And in the case of yesterday’s news that the feud between Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro, which has gone on since 1987, led to Rourke being barred from “The Irishman,” the latest information seems to point out that what the actor said was definitely not accurate.
If you missed Rourke’s story from yesterday, the actor went on an Italian TV series and during an interview, explained that his disagreements with De Niro, dating back to their time filming “Angel Heart,” have continued through the decades and was the sole reason why he was not allowed to star in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman, despite the filmmaker wanting him in the project.
Well, according to a statement (via IndieWire), producers Jane Rosenthal and Emma Tillinger Koskoff and casting director Ellen Lewis have put a definitive end to that speculation, saying, “Mickey Rourke was never asked to be in ‘The Irishman’ nor was he ever even thought of, discussed or considered to be in the movie.”
Now, if you want to look into that statement a bit more, it’s clear that there’s a bit of annoyance from those ladies in regards to the story that Rourke spit out on TV. Saying that the actor was never “even thought of” is a bit of a slap in the face, albeit a pretty funny jab.
Look, Mickey Rourke isn’t the same guy he was 30 years ago. He’s gone through some incredible ups and downs over that time, starring in some incredible films and obviously, some terrible ones, as well. Hell, he even showed up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Iron Man 2,” as the Russian villain that only cared about his bird. So, while it’s a funny, interesting story to believe Rourke was barred from “The Irishman,” it would appear, at least for now, that wasn’t the case.
“The Irishman,” with absolutely no Mickey Rourke-ness, will be arriving in theaters on November 1 before hitting Netflix on November 27.