Mickey Rourke is denying any involvement in a GoFundMe page asking for donations so that the Oscar-nominated actor could avoid eviction.
In a video posted to his Instagram page on Monday night, Rourke said: “Somebody set up some kind of foundation or fund for me to donate money, like in a charity, and that’s not me, OK? If I needed money, I wouldn’t ask for no fucking charity. I’d rather stick a gun up my ass and pull the trigger.”
Rourke, who was speaking while holding his dog Lucky and sporting a pink V-neck and his signature cowboy hat, said he was “frustrated and confused” by the situation.
“Whoever did this, I don’t know why they did it, I don’t understand it. I wouldn’t know what a GoFund foundation is in a million years,” he continued. “You know, my life is very simple, I don’t go to outside sources like that. And yeah, it is embarrassing, but I’m sure I’ll get over it like anything else.”
The GoFundMe page, which says it was set up by Liya-Joelle Jones for Kimberly Hines, has now raised more than its goal of $100,000. The donation page description claims that after Rourke, once a “force of nature” in Hollywood, stepped away from acting to become a professional boxer, he was saddled with “lasting physical and emotional scars” and abandoned by “the industry that once celebrated him.”
“Fame does not protect against hardship, and talent does not guarantee stability,” the description reads. “What remains is a person who deserves dignity, housing, and the chance to regain his footing.”
In his video message, Rourke encouraged his fans and those who had donated to not “give any money, and if you gave money, get it back.”
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“I’m going to talk to my lawyer — I hate talking to him, but I’ve had him forever and I love him. But I’m going to talk to Bill and get to the bottom of this,” Rourke said.
The actor was served a notice in December to pay about $60,000 in owed back rent or face eviction from his Los Angeles Home (via People). Rourke opened up a bit about his financial state in the video, saying: “COVID and the writers’ strike killed my money, but I was in a really bad situation with the place I was renting. Everything was good for five or six years, and then two scumbags from New York bought the house and they wouldn’t fix anything … But I would never ask strangers or fans or anybody for a nickel. I mean, that’s not my style. You ask anybody that knows me, it’s humiliating and it’s really fucking embarrassing.”
Rourke added that he’s “very grateful for what I have” and assured fans that he has “a roof over my head” and “food to eat.”
“Just get your money back, please,” Rourke concluded. “I don’t need anybody’s money and I wouldn’t do it this way. I got too much pride, man.”
The highest donation on the GoFundMe page was for $5,000 from an anonymous donor. The second highest was $2,500, followed by $1,500.
“A small gesture to a film legend and modern icon, the strong & great Mickey Rourke,” wrote one donor.
Another donor penned, “For all the joy and inspiration you gave to mankind (and dogkind, I guess), you deserve to get supported during hard times. Hope you get back on your feet soon.”
Rourke broke into Hollywood starring alongside Matt Dillon, Diane Lane and Dennis Hopper in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 drama “Rumble Fish.” His other major works include “The Pop of Greenwich Village,” “9½ Weeks,” “Angel Heart” and “Barfly,” as well as more recent films like “Man on Fire,” “Sin City” and “The Wrestler.”
Watch Rourke’s full message below.
From Variety US