Robert Downey Jr. has definitely proven his acting potential by rising from rock bottom through his Tony Stark/ Iron Man portrayal in MCU films. But before the shining armor era, he had a messy history just like his co-star, Mickey Rourke who was hellbent on criticizing the franchise after they were unable to fulfill his demands.
Mickey Rourke’s Year of the Dragon Ended Up Becoming a Box-Office Flop
The film garnered major criticism for its racial stereotypes and dialogue that were filled with anti-Asian slurs. Due to that, members of the Chinese American and Asian American communities protested against the project leading to mixed to negative reviews from film critics.
Due to the then-ongoing controversy, it was unable to perform well at the box office thus becoming a major disappointment. The former was quite furious with the results as his years of work were overshadowed by the controversy and thus decided to take this matter into his hands.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man Co-star, Mickey Rourke Ranted on Film Critics
In a 1985 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rourke went on a war with critics who expressed their dissatisfaction with the film. Initially speaking against LA City Councilman Mike Woo, who was among the people who protested against the film, he shared,
“He’s only become involved in that issue to elevate himself politically. Let Woo organize something to feed people who can’t get jobs instead of grandstanding like this.”
He took a jab at the critics by sharing how his opinion of them has highly been affected after their feedback.
“Sometimes I used to read what they had to say about movies but after what we’ve gone through with the critics on this film, my opinion of them has changed.”
He continued,
“They’re totally gutless people who don’t realize that it takes one or two years to make a movie. To slash things apart like that…”
Given the extreme criticism the project received at the time, Rourke was furious by the project’s failure which ended up earning only $30 million at the box office. However, it has gained a cult following over the years thus making his efforts fruitful in the long run.
He is also infamous for his outrageous rants on MCU and Iron Man 2 director, Jon Favreau after he was unsatisfied with how his character was portrayed on-screen. He has mentioned wanting his character to be more nuanced but the studio went ahead with a normal villain leaving him disappointed and angry. Despite Iron Man 2 grossing $623 million worldwide, it was unable to impress critics and audiences, thus leaving a bitter taste overall.
Source: Los Angeles Times
