24 THE LIST Lila.
MICKEY ROURKE was hot stuff in Hollywood before madness led him to the boxing ring. Now he’s rebuilding his acting career and is starring in the widely acclaimed Sin City. James Mottram meets him in Cannes.
producer once compared .\lickc_\ Rourke to John 'l‘rznolta ‘larnoux hut laded . . . he juxt needx to lind hix I’M/p l'i't'I/on'. Well. now he hax. .'\,x Man. the brick—laced hruixer at the heart ol Sin (‘/.I‘\'. Rourke linall_\ getx hix Vincent Vega moment in a lilm that ow ex ax much to Quentin 'larantino‘x inl‘luencc ax it doex l‘rank .\lillci”x l‘ahulouxl} lurid graphic
mud on which it ix haxed. ('o-dircctcd h) Miller
and Robert Rodriguu. with whom Rourke worked on Once ('pon (I lime in .l/etii‘n. thix ix the lilm Roukex lanx ha\e been waiting: to xec xince he .xet out on the comeback trail.
It couldn't he a more appropriate maxie. Be it the houtx ol' plaxtic xurgcr}. hanging with moh hoxx .lohn (iotti. traxhing nightcluhx. hraw line in
the ring; (or with hix xecond wile (ai‘i‘ic ()tixl. Rourkc'x paxt e\traeurricular acti\ iticx make him perlecl caxting l‘or one ol the inhaliitantx ol' \lillch xin-lillcd Haxin ('it} in the moxie that Rourke callx ’lilm noir on crack‘. .\x it haPl‘cnx .\lar\ ix not one ol' the numeroux \illainx ol~ the multila} cred xtor_\. ()lixcxxed h) (ioldic i.laimc King; l. a goddexx ol a one-night xtand. he xetx out to lind her killer when he wakex up and lindx hcr tlL‘Lttl. \Vllll lilx lace c‘tHL‘l‘cd ll] proxthcticx. Rourke xa_\x he identilied with 'the uglincxx‘ ol' hix character. ‘l‘\e looked in the mirror and lclt in_\xcll like that hel‘orc.‘ he xa_\x. hall—joking. ‘\\‘hcn .\lar\ makcx up hix mind to do xomething he gocx all the wa_\ and docxn't think about the ctlllxt‘qllL‘Ilt‘t‘x. l llxetl lU tlii xltlll likc llltlld