14 DAY TRIAL // Not a stranger to making controversial and discriminating remarks, it’s Mickey Rourke himself who is now accusing a fellow actor of committing the sin of homophobia. To add insult to injury, Mickey claims, in private text messages that got leaked on the Internet, that Sean Penn is an “average” actor and, considering his latest part and his potential vehicle for Oscar fame, a fake.
The so-far unidirectional feud seems to have been ignited by the fact that both actors’ performances have earned them rave reviews, putting them in the race for next year’s Oscars. Sean Penn got critics’ appraisal with “Milk,” in which he plays the part of California elected official Harvey Milk, as he struggles to come to terms with being a public figure and a most devoted life partner to Scott Smith (James Franco). Rourke, on the other hand, made his comeback into the spotlight with the drama “The Wrestler,” where he is Randy “The Ram” Robinson.
Now, Mickey seems to tell friends via text messages that TheDailyBeast got a hold of and consequently made public that Sean is a fake for playing a part that goes completely against who he really is as a person and what he believes. “Look seans [sic] an old friend of mine and i didnt [sic] buy his performance at all—thought he did an average pretend acting […] besides hes [sic] one of the most homophobic people i kno [sic]” reads the text message intercepted by the aforementioned publication.
This comes on the heels of Mickey telling people backstage at David Letterman, on December 23, that he did not see Penn as a potential competitor in the Oscar race because “I’m not even sure he’ll get a nomination.” Nevertheless, Rourke’s publicist claims that “there is no Oscar feud between Mickey and Sean. They have known each other and been friends for a very long time. Mickey attended the New York premiere of ‘Milk’ to support Sean and only has the greatest respect for him.” The rep further added that the actor was “completely unaware of the text” he supposedly wrote.