“My career is in the toilet”: Mickey Rourke reveals why he picked reality TV over "bad" independent movies
Mickey Rourke, known for starring in films like Iron Man 2 and The Wrestler, made his debut on reality TV when he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Monday, April 7, 2025. Many of the actor's fans were shocked to see him join the reality show, as he is known for his revered movie career.
However, Rourke spoke to The Sun on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, and revealed why he chose to join Celebrity Big Brother. He told the publication that his career was "in the toilet," which led to him joining the British reality TV series.
“My career is in the toilet. I’m not getting A-list movies anymore. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I have nobody to blame but myself for my ship sinking,” Rourke stated.
Discussing his career, Mickey Rourke said that he didn't have anyone to blame but himself for the trajectory his career had taken, noting that he had a short temper. He spoke about a conversation he had with his shrink, who told him that when he was 14, he put his "finger on the hard button," adding that "the problem" was that he never took it off.
Mickey Rourke chose to join Celebrity Big Brother over doing "bad" independent movies
Mickey Rourke spoke to The Sun about his decision to enter the Big Brother house, and admitted that it was either that or doing "bad independent movies." The actor said that this was the primary reason behind his joining the British reality TV series.
"It was between this or a really bad independent movie, and I've had it up to here with really bad independent movies," said Rourke.
However, he also admitted that he didn't know what Big Brother was before he entered the house, claiming that he initially thought it was the government. He recalled speaking to his "close mate Ray Winstone," who told him to be himself and have fun on the show.
In the interview, Mickey Rourke also spoke about how he had money issues after COVID and the actors' strike. The actor said that he had to borrow money from a friend and a bank to stay afloat.
He continued to speak about the strike, noting that everyone "in those picket lines is an out-of-work actor.
"There would be the flavour of the month actor show up to just say 'how great am I, I’m in the picket line with all the poor people that will never get a job, aren’t I wonderful'," he said.
Mickey Rourke and Jojo Siwa's controversy in the Big Brother house
The latest season of Big Brother has just begun, and the 72-year-old actor is already embroiled in some controversy. He came under fire for passing homophobic remarks about his housemate Jojo Siwa.
"I am going to vote the lesbian out real quick," he said.
Following this, Rourke went on to make some other comments that led to him receiving a formal warning, and he was told that if he didn't comply, he would be booted out of the house.
Rourke and Jojo Siwa join other housemates such as Angellica Bell, Chesney Hawkes, Chris Hughes, Daley Thompson, Danny Beard, Michael Fabricant, and more. The series is available to watch on ITV.
For further updates, stay tuned.
