‘Tom Cruise is irrelevant,’ says Iron Man 2 star Mickey Rourke: ‘Guy’s been doing the same effing part for 35 years’

Actor Mickey Rourke launched a scathing criticism of Tom Cruise in a recent interview. The actor, best known for his roles in The Wrestler and Iron Man 2, called Tom ‘irrelevant’ and said ‘he has no respect’ for how the star chooses his roles. Tom’s latest film Top Gun: Maverick is the most successful film of the year, having earned over $1 billion at the box office globally. Also read: Tom Cruise has had ‘some conversations’ about Top Gun 3

Mickey is an Oscar-nominated actor and has worked in several successful films over the years, including Iron Man 2, The Expendables, and Immortals. The 69-year-old saw a resurgence of his career in the late 2000s and in an interview, was discussing older actors headlining successful films.

In an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Mickey was asked by the host what he felt about 60-year-old Tom starring in Top Gun: Maverick. “That doesn’t mean sh** to me. The guy’s been doing the same effing part for 35 years. I got no respect for that,” Mickey replied.

Elaborating upon his answer, the actor added, “I don’t care about money and power. I care about when I watch Al Pacino work and Chris Walken and De Niro’s early work and Richard Harris’s work and Ray Winstone’s work. That’s the kind of actor I want to be like. Monty Clift and Brando back in the day.” When asked if he didn’t consider Tom a good actor, Mickey replied, “I think he’s irrelevant, in my world.”

Tom returned to his iconic role of Naval aviator Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in the film, a sequel to his 1986 hit Top Gun. In addition to this, he has also headlined six movies in the Mission Impossible franchise, one of the most successful series in cinema history. The seventh and eighth instalments of the series will release in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Mickey was last seen on screen in the 2021 film Man of God.