MICKEY ROURKE - ROURKE BLOCKED OUT BOXING BACKGROUND FOR THE WRESTLER

ROURKE BLOCKED OUT BOXING BACKGROUND FOR THE WRESTLER

Movie hardman MICKEY ROURKE was forced to forget his fighting background for new movie THE WRESTLER, because he found his skills as a former professional boxer were more of a hindrance than a help.
The 52-year-old star has made a triumph return to the big screen after more than a decade in the Hollywood wilderness following a string of well-documented run-ins with the law, and a failed foray into professional boxing.
But he struggled to get to grips with his role as has-been grappler Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in the film, because wrestlers aren't as "graceful" as boxers.
He says, "It got in the way because wrestlers don't move like fighters, and fighters don't move like wrestlers - it was really more like I had to get my mindset out of that.
"In boxing, you move very gracefully. These guys move very hulkingly and you can read their punches."