‘I think he’s irrelevant’
Sin City star Mickey Rourke has labelled Tom Cruise “irrelevant” during a new interview with controversial telly host Piers Morgan.
Rourke, 69, best known for his roles in 80’s movies like Rumble Fish, 9½ Weeks and more recently Iron Man 3 and an Academy Award winning role in The Wrestler, made the comments whilst appearing on Morgan’s new show Piers Morgan Uncensored on Monday night.
When asked about Cruise’s work – specifically how he feels seeing the stunt-loving star at the top of the box office charts following the release of this year’s successful sequel Top Gun: Maverick – Rourke stayed true to the show’s name and didn’t hold back.
“The guy’s been doing the same ‘effing part for 35 years,” he deadpanned. “I got no respect for that.”
He continued, adding: “I don’t care about money and power. I care about when I watch Al Pacino work and Chris Walken and De Niro’s early work and Richard Harris’s work and Ray Winstone’s work.
“That’s the kind of actor I want to be like. Monty Clift and Brando back in the day.”
Without missing a beat, Morgan then asked Rourke flat out if he thought Cruise was a good actor.
“I think he’s irrelevant, in my world,” he replied.
Mickey Rourke says Tom Cruise isn’t a very good actor because he doesn’t take roles that challenge him: “I think he’s irrelevant.” pic.twitter.com/30r7b3Jxz2
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 11, 2022
Rourke shot to fame in the 80s following a string of iconic roles in 1980’s Heaven’s Gate and 1981’s Body Heat, alongside the early features mentioned above.
After disappearing from the spotlight for a short period of time, Rourke experienced a resurgence in popularity following a string of appearances in independent movies like 200o’s drug drama Spun.
Things kicked into overdrive when director Robert Rodriguez cast him as fight-hardened boxer Marv in his 2005 comic book adaptation of Frank Miller’s Sin City and not long after, Rourke bagged a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a down-and-out fighter in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler in 2008.
Meanwhile, Cruise has continued to work at the top of his game in a range of action movies leading all the way to this summer’s sequel to 80s hit Top Gun. Since the movie’s release on May 27, the film has gone on to become the highest grossing movie of Cruise’s career so far.
Related links:
- Netflix star Busi Lurayi ‘suddenly’ dies at home at age 36
- Top Gun: Maverick soars past $1B at box office to become highest-grossing film of Tom Cruise’s career
- Studio behind Tom Cruise blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick sued over copyright
