Before the Oscars awards, the director of Pi y Requiem For A Dream, He made time and spoke with the Argentine newspaper Clarín about his latest film "The fighter", which garnered praise from everywhere and marked the actor's return to stardom Mickey Rourk.
Darren Aronofsky recounted what it was like to work with Rourke, the filming and why he chose wrestling over the more obvious boxing, to tell a dramatic story of a disgraced hero.
In the interview also his career as a filmmaker and his particular way of portraying the world are reviewed, where physical pain is a constant throughout his filmography.
I leave you with a part of the interview, to read it in full, look for the link at the end of the note.
How did you come up with casting Mickey Rourke for the role of The Ram?
It was like lighting, like I had been struck by lightning. But it was not easy. I had to deal with a lot of negativity from people because of their reputation. I've been a longtime Mickey fan, since I was 18 and watched Satanic Heart. And, like many, I wondered what had become of him. Working with him was challenging because the character had to be likeable and people liked him. And I thought that those who loved him when he was a star would still love him now. Beyond how changed it is, the magic remains.
Is it true that Mickey Rourke changed all his dialogue?
Not that it changed them. The dialogues were the product of improvisation. It was great to see. He has more talent in one finger than all of us, and he can get the job done without trying. Part of my job was to challenge him, to push him to cross his limits. He never gives everything. He is afraid of that.
Mickey always had a reputation for being difficult on sets. How was it in this case?
Things changed a lot for him. When I summoned him, I was clear about the effort and responsibility involved in making the film. And he understood perfectly. I was very happy to be a part of the project. We were clear and honest with each other, and that was critical.
There are very strong and tough scenes in the movie, physically and emotionally. What was the hardest to shoot?
For him, the scene where he works in the supermarket deli. He hated her, he hated the resemblance of the character and the scene to some situations in his life, for those people who saw him with a familiar face but did not know exactly where from. That is something that happened to him in life.
Another incredible performance is that of Marisa Tomei. How did it appear in the movie?
I went with her brother to high school and she was already a legend then because she had worked on TV. I met her later and we have been friends for years. He took a role that could have been one-dimensional and added a lot to it. Something similar happens to both and they have to live in a world in which the real and the false mix.
Is it true that for a moment he replaced Rourke with Nicolas Cage?
It was always going to be Mickey, but the problem was, no one wanted to finance it. And money appears when you have a star. After a year and a half of refusals I started to get anxious and to talk to another actor (he does not name Cage), but finally we were able to close with Mickey.
What interested you in the world of wrestling?
The line between the real and the false. People think that it is all false, and to a certain extent it is, but it is also brutal and those who practice it beat themselves very hard. I was interested in that. The original idea came about many years ago, but it took me about seven years to develop it. I met wrestlers who filled Madison Square Garden who now fight for $ 500 for 200 people in small towns. Three years ago we sat down with Rob Siegel to write the script and Mickey appeared around that time.
The theme of physical pain is present in all your films ...
It is there, although I am not aware. You can take out the fight and change it for another profession and it would be there. Here I was interested in the idea of manipulating the body to make art. But emotional pain is what interests me the most. Through that people connect.
There is another great scene which is the autograph signing. How did it come about?
I witnessed such a thing while investigating. It was an autograph signing session in which there were more people to sign than fans. I knew I had to make a scene out of it ...
Source: Clarín