Exploring the heated feud between Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke
Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke have had many disagreements over the years, leading to some very public debacles. Although their heated feud can be traced as far back as 1987, Rourke hasn’t eased up on his disdain for De Niro even after all these years.
Before the production of the 1987 neo-noir film Angel Heart, Rourke considered De Niro to be a role model. He revealed that he looked up to the star of Taxi Driver, but that changed when De Niro came up to him and said: “I think it’s better if we don’t talk because of characters in the movie. It’s better if we don’t say hello, talk or anything.”
According to Rourke, De Niro had reacted that way after Rourke taught him something related to acting. Rourke believed that De Niro had a fragile ego which is why he couldn’t stomach it. While recalling the incident, Rourke commented: “I took him to school. Before that, no other actor took him to school.”
Rourke publicly attacked De Niro for his behaviour. He added: “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 shit. He doesn’t know that life. I lived that fucking life, so every time I look him in the face, I look right through his asshole.”
Their feud definitely didn’t end there, and it took another form in 2020 when Rourke claimed that he had been sidelined due to De Niro’s grudge. The actor believed that Martin Scorsese was considering him for The Irishman, but since De Niro didn’t want to work with Rourke again, Scorsese left him out.
“The casting person told my manager that Robert De Niro said he refused to work with me in a movie,” Rourke alleged. After these claims became the subject of headlines everywhere, De Niro released a public statement through his representative Stan Rosenfeld where he clarified that The Irishman’s producers and casting director never considered Rourke.
Rourke responded: “Hey Robert De Niro, that’s right, I am talking to you, you big fucking 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 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.”
He even threatened De Niro by promising that he would embarrass the actor if they ever met each other again. While it is hard to say whether De Niro has held a grudge after all these years due to his continued silence on the subject, it’s evident that Rourke has a lot of conflicted feelings about one of his former icons.