Art imitating life for Rourke

All art imitates life and nowhere is this adage more resonant than in director Darren Aronofsky’s latest peek into the darker recesses of the human heart, The Wrestler.

The film follows the lonely twilight days of former wrestling superstar Randy (The Ram) Robinson as he desperately attempts to grapple with age, ego and the physical toll his profession has racked against his body.

But the film’s real fascination — it opens Christmas Day — lies in the eerie manner in which The Ram’s misfortunes echo those of the man who plays him: ’80s movie icon Mickey Rourke, who delivers a dynamic, career-best performance that has Oscar written all over it.

Once considered the heir apparent to both Marlon Brando and Robert DeNiro, Rourke — after starring in such tough, uncompromising cult favorites as Diner, The Year of the Dragon, Angel Heart and Barfly — endured a plethora of public humiliations (his rocky relationship with ex-wife Carre Otis is well-documented) before abandoning his craft to pursue his first love, boxing. By the time he returned to the screen in the late ’90s, the party was long over.

“I was on the bench for 13 years,” says Rourke about those darker days. “And after a while you start to say, ‘Is it really over like everyone says it is?’ I mean, I’d be buying a pack of cigarettes at two in the morning and some guy would come up to me and ask why I don’t work anymore, or mention 91/2 Weeks and Angel Heart, and I mean, you can’t pay your rent on that.”

Screenwriter Robert Siegel wrote the part of The Ram specifically for Rourke, basing the character on his own admiration for the actor’s past cinematic glories.

The Wrestler — which sees Rourke delivering a shattering emotional and physical performance — marks the official return (after a minor success in 2005’s Sin City) of the once-troubled actor to the Hollywood big leagues.

“It feels strange, very strange and almost painfully nice,” says Rourke about his sudden career renaissance. “I behaved terribly in those early days and I never realized there were going to be repercussions for my actions. I’ve been fortunate enough along the way to have access to good advice to make changes in my life. I just didn’t think it was going to take me 10 years to work it all out.”