Just finished watching one of my favorite programs, The Tavis Smiley Show, on PBS. Tonight's guest was Mickey Rourke. Great interview and very interesting dude.
In all honesty, I was fairly ignorant of Rourke's story before tonight. Other than remembering a short clip about him in a movie, Tupac: Resurrection, I don't remember watching any of his movies or knowing much about his history. After watching the interview tonight, I was intrigued in learning more about him and his recent, highly-acclaimed movie, The Wrestler.
Sooo, after a little Wikipedia researching and Youtube perusing, I came to learn that the talented actor left show business in 1991 after declining several major roles, rubbing certain directors the wrong way, and hoping to feel better about himself by switching from acting to boxing (his childhood sport). 39 years old and starting a boxing career - wow.
During his hiatus from acting, Rourke lost his wife, career, and money. Even after trying to return to acting in 1995, it wasn't until 2008, with The Wrestler, that he really returned to the glory days of yesteryear. THIRTEEN YEARS to get back on top. In the interview with Tavis, Rourke talks about always believing he'd get his life back but never realizing it'd take so long.
In the end, Rourke is just an actor returning to the top of a glamorous world. Nonetheless, I'm intrigued, as I usually am with people like him. Besides loving his story of redemption, I'm fascinated by people who run away from their "God-given talent" in the first place. In so many ways, I admire the human spirit that becomes so petrified of "stable life" that it does everything in its power to avoid it. Bumps, bruises, and emotional pitfalls take the stage, just so that person can continue experiencing the thrill of jumping off cliffs and having no clue how his or her story may end.
Having said all of this, there is a potentially depressing reality of running from talent - the chance one never regains it and simply fades into oblivion. But maybe that's just life.
PS - You can catch interview here - http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200903/20090302.html
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