“He’s a real gentleman, a very cool regular guy,” actor tells the media

Aug 13, 2014 09:35 GMT  ·  By

Russian President Vladimir Putin might be persona non grata right now with countless politicians for his measures regarding Ukraine but there’s at least one public figure he can still count on: Mickey Rourke. Make that two, because Steven Seagal also loves him a lot.

The “Wrestler” star was in Moscow the other day and he queued in line to buy T-shirts from a new line by young designers Anna Yefremova and Ivan Yershov. He tried 2 on for the cameras and even walked out wearing one.

That Rourke or any other actor would do this, promote a new fashion line by showing up in person at the launch, would not be that unheard of; what was special about these tees was that they all had Putin’s face on it.

So Mickey Rourke walked around Moscow with Putin’s face on his chest, probably fully aware of the kind of impact this image would have abroad.

In his defense, it was all for a good cause, as Sky News says that proceeds from the sales will go to charity, helping an 8-month boy from Ukraine get medical treatment at St Petersburg State Pediatric Medical Academy’s clinic.

The actor also spoke to the press about his new purchases, and as you can see in the video below, he did not mention the charitable aspect of the issue. He did say though that he had nothing but love and respect for Putin and that there was no amount of money in this world that could be offered to him to wear the T-shirts if he didn’t like Putin.

So that settles it.

“I like this guy,” he told the screaming reporters. “I met him a couple of times and he was a real gentleman, a very cool regular guy, looked me right in the eye. I think he is a good guy. If I didn't, believe me I wouldn't wear the T-shirt.”

As Rourke sees it, there is nothing to hate about Putin, especially since he doesn’t “care about [expletive]ing politics.”

He also says that he’s in town because he’s visiting with his girlfriend’s family, whom he positively loves. Since 2009, Mickey has been dating Anastassija Makarenko, who is a model. They share an apartment in Germany and one back in the US, and there was even some talk of wedding plans at one point.

In a 2010 interview, Rourke described Anastassija as a “heavenly gift” he would not trade for 20 Oscar awards. In return, she called him the most beautiful man on earth and the best boyfriend she could have ever dreamed of having.