Tom Cruise has shared his thoughts on Mickey Rourke after the controversial actor infamously branded him “irrelevant”.
Rourke - who was recently axed from Celebrity Big Brother - accused Cruise of “doing the same effing part for 35 years” during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored in 2022.
The Oscar nominee said he had “no respect for that” and, when asked if he thought Cruise was a good actor, said the Mission Impossible star was “irrelevant in my world”.
However, Cruise, 62, had only good things to say about Rourke, 72, while reflecting on working with him in workshop-style auditions for Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film The Outsiders,
“We all rehearsed, and it was an amazing experience – here we are, two generations of actors and actresses are all doing workshops together, and it’s an audition process,” he recalled at an event celebrating his new film, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning at BFI Southbank in London.
“So I saw all of these incredible young actors. Mickey Rourke came in. He was older than us, he was like 26, and he was, like, Mickey Rourke!” he added, per Metro.
Cruise went on: “You know, Body Heat – and just a brilliant actor. Yeah, he was amazing.”
Cruise, who spoke at the event ahead of being given a BFI Fellowship, ended up starring in Risky Business instead of working with Coppola a second time on Rumble Fish.
Rourke took the lead role in Rumble Fish instead, starring in the film alongside Matt Dillon and Dennis Hopper.
The former wrestler made headlines last month with his erratic behaviour on Celebrity Big Brother, which led to him being axed from the show.
After asking US singer Jojo Siwa about her sexuality, he told her “if I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay any more.” Siwa identifies as pansexual.
Rourke then told fellow contestant and former Love Islander Chris Hughes that he would “vote the lesbian out real quick”. When Siwa overheard she called the actor out, saying “that’s homophobic”.
The actor proceeded to comment that “I need a fag” and gestured to Siwa saying, “I’m not talking to you”, before clarifying that he was using slang for a cigarette that doubles as a homophobic slur.
Rourke was then summoned to the Big Brother diary room where he received a formal warning. “Your language was offensive and unacceptable,” said the Big Brother voiceover. “Further language or behaviour of this nature could lead to you being removed from the Big Brother house.”
The actor said he was “just talking smack” and apologised to Siwa. “I’ve got a habit of having a short fuse, and I don’t mean nothing by it,” he told her.
Rourke’s spokesperson Kimberly Hines gave a statement to US Weekly defending the 72-year-old’s behaviour. “Mickey speaks from his heart and means well,” said Hines.
“He is old school, direct and honest,” she added I have worked closely with him for nine years and he is 100 percent authentically himself. There will never be another Mickey Rourke. Period.”
Soon after, he was asked to leave the house following an “unacceptable” altercation with housemate Hughes.
