If you didn’t already know, Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro have supposedly had a 30-year-long feud with each other. It first started on the set of 1987’s Angel Heart. Allegedly, Robert De Niro said to Mickey Rourke, “I think it’s better if we don’t talk.” The feud hasn’t stopped since and now things between the two seem to be heating up.
Mickey Rourke recently took to social media from a now-deleted Instagram post to call out Robert De Niro for saying Rourke was a liar. If you want to see how scathing the feud has become, here’s Mickey Rourke’s own words:
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 shit”. Listen Mr.Tough Guy in the movies, you’re the 1st person that ever called me a liar and it was in a newspaper. Let me tell you something, you punk ass, when i see you i swear to God on my Grandmother, on my brother and all my dogs,i gonna embarrass you severely 100%.
These are some very strong words from Mickey Rourke. It’s easy to see how a long-time feud could boil over into something like this. However, this isn’t exactly coming out of nowhere, and had recently been reignited by The Irishman.
The Expendables actor claimed that he was considered for a role in The Irishman, but said his chances for the role were foiled by Robert De Niro. Mickey Rourke said Robert De Niro refused to work with him. According to Independent, Rourke later said that getting the role on The Irishman would have helped him since he "needed the money."
However, things get a bit more complicated with Mickey Rourke’s story. In response to his claims, The Irishman producers Jane Rosenthal and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, as well as casting director Ellen Lewis, all denied them, saying (via Indiewire):
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.
There’s no doubt this is a difficult situation. Regardless of who is right, it’s unlikely to settle the bad blood between Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke. And, for Mickey Rourke’s part, it’s not the only time he’s had a feud.
In the past, Mickey Rourke, who played villain Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2, voiced his frustration with Marvel, saying, in part, “I’m not a Marvel fan.” At the time, he wanted to add dimension to his character in Iron Man 2, but when push came to shove, Marvel decided to cut most of his scenes. So, it makes some sense why he might be upset.
Perhaps one day Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro can find a way to bury the hatchet and move on from their feud. As always, stay tuned to Cinema Blend for the latest movie news, including if this particular hatchet ever finds its way underground.
