Highlights
- Robert De Niro clashed with Mickey Rourke during the production of “Angel Heart” due to Rourke’s aggressive style.
- De Niro avoided working with Rourke ever since their feud and reportedly refused to work with him in “The Irishman.”
- Rourke has continued to insult De Niro publicly.
Robert De Niro is one of the most influential actors of all time. He’s starred in some of the most iconic films of the last half-century, and his preparation, coupled with his ability to transform for a given role, has allowed him to continue giving Oscar-nominated performances well into his 80s.
De Niro is an actor who likes to develop friendships with his collaborators, as evidenced by the numerous films he’s made with director Martin Scorsese, as well as his friend and fellow acting legend Al Pacino. He has a good reputation among his peers, but there was one instance in which he clashed with a co-star, and he’s avoided working with said co-star ever since.
Robert De Niro Hated Acting With Mickey Rourke In The Film Angel Heart Because Of The Actor’s Aggressive Style
Robert De Niro was originally tapped to play the lead in Angel Heart (1987), but he eventually took a supporting role opposite Mickey Rourke. The latter was excited to work with his acting idol, but things quickly soured between the two men during production, leading to a feud that has lasted for over 35 years.
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Things were cordial between the two actors during the promotional roll-out for the film. During a 1987 featurette, Rourke praised De Niro for his concentration and conceded that he had to raise his game to meet the latter during their scenes. “It was the first time I think I ever had to really concentrate in the way I had to concentrate,” he gushed. “He’s the most concentrated actor I’ve ever seen.”
Eventually, the truth surfaced. Rourke claimed that De Niro instilled a “no touching” policy during production, and decided that it would be better for the performances if they didn’t talk at all between takes. Rourke took these comments to heart, and decided that he was going to dominate De Niro, or “take him to school,” whenever they were onscreen.
De Niro didn’t take kindly to his co-star’s aggressive attitude.
The actor admitted that De Niro’s cold approach hurt his feelings during a 2019 appearance on the Italian talk show Live – It’s Not D’Urso:
“It hurt my feelings a little bit ’cause I looked up to him. I don’t look up to him no more; I look through him. I came up from the s**t. He doesn’t know that life. I lived that f**king life, so every time I look him in the face, I look right through his a**hole.”
Angel Heart was a box office disappointment upon release, but its developed a reputation as a cult classic, with many fans praising the performances of both De Niro and Rourke.
Robert De Niro’s Refusal To Work With Rourke Reportedly Cost The Actor A Role In The 2019 Film The Irishman
Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke had wildly different careers in the decades that followed. The former continued to appear in classic films and earn Oscar nominations, while the latter derailed his career through erratic behavior and botched plastic surgeries. Rourke was able to stage a comeback in the 2000s, however, earning his first Oscar nomination for The Wrestler (2008) and appearing in the blockbusters Sin City (2005) and Iron Man 2 (2010).
|
Name |
Birth Date (According to IMDb) |
Film Credits (According to IMDb) |
Oscar Nominations (According to Oscars.org) |
Highest-Grossing Film (According to The Numbers) |
|
Robert De Niro |
August 17, 1943 |
135 |
7 (2 Wins) |
Joker (2019) |
|
Mickey Rourke |
September 16, 1952 |
101 |
1 (0 Wins) |
Iron Man 2 (2010) |
De Niro and Rourke’s paths didn’t cross again until production started on the epic gangster film The Irishman (2019). The film was a passion project for director Martin Scorsese and De Niro, who played the titular character, in addition to producing.
Rourke told the host of Live – It’s Not D’Urso he was being considered for a supporting role in The Irishman, but that De Niro’s influence ultimately ruined his chances:
“Marty Scorsese wanted to meet me for a movie with Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro. The casting person told my manager that Robert De Niro said he refused to work with me in a movie.”
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It’s worth noting that the producers of the film, which included De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, as well as casting director Ellen Lewis, issued a public statement to Indiewire that refuted Rourke’s claims. “Rourke was never asked to be in The Irishman nor was he ever even thought of, discussed or considered to be in the movie,” it read.
De Niro’s rep, Stan Ronsefield, was the person who issued the statement, and when Page Six asked him to expand on the actor’s feelings towards Rourke, he simply said that De Niro was “aware of [his] comments.”
Robert De Niro Continues To Avoid Rourke Because The Actor Threatened To ‘Embarrass’ Him In Public
Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke’s paths have not professionally crossed in the years since the release of The Irishman, but Rourke has continued to insult De Niro any chance he gets. In 2020, he posted a photo of De Niro on his Instagram, with a lengthy caption that included a number of insults and veiled accusations that De Niro lied about the Irishman casting:
“Hey Robert De Niro, that’s right I am talking to you, you big f**king crybaby. A friend of mine just recently told me that a few months back you’re quoted as saying to newspapers ‘Mickey Rourke’s a liar he talks all kind of s**t’. Listen Mr. Tough Guy in the movies, you’re the 1st person that ever called me a liar, and it was in a newspaper.”
It didn’t stop there. Rourke continued to insult De Niro, and went as far as to suggest that he would physically harm him the next time they encountered each other in person. “Let me tell you something, you punk a**,” he wrote. “When I see you I swear to God on my Grandmother, on my brother and all my dogs, I [sic] gonna embarrass you severely 100%.”
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De Niro did not respond to the post, which has since been taken down. Whether or not Rourke’s comments are true (he also has a reputation for being difficult on set, at least, according to his 9 1/2 Weeks co-star Kim Basinger), it’s easy to see why De Niro has avoided any potential run-ins with the actor.
Source: NewsFinale
