Former boxer-turned-actor Mickey Rourke, who stars in the new film "Man of God" recently shared his thoughts on how God and a faith leader helped keep him on the right path. The 69 year old admitted that his late grandmother, who was very religious, had a huge influence in his life and his faith. He also shared how his faith saved him from living a very different life.
Rourke told Fox News that "a lot of brutal s-t happened early on" in his life, which caused him to "live with shame." He said that such experiences make one "either live in that shame and be a broken man or you get hard."
"I was very comfortable on the streets growing up," the boxer turned actor said.
Rourke began amateur boxing at a very young age. From 1964 to 1973, the young boxer established an amateur boxing record of 27 wins, which included 12 straight knockouts. Throughout the 1980s, he starred in several films. In 1991, he briefly left his acting career to pursue professional boxing, but returned to Hollywood in 1994. It was in 2008 when he played an aging wrestler in the sports drama film The Wrestler (2008), for which he won the Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Despite growing up on the streets, Rourke acknowledged, "There is God. My priest told me, 'God hears everything you say. He just doesn't give it to you when you want it. You've got to keep persevering and keep communicating with him. You've got to talk to God before the house burns down.'"
Rourke recounted how at 18 years old, he was faced with his 17 year old brother's cancer diagnosis. The actor said that his brother had only six months to live. That was when his grandmother told him to pray to St. Jude. Rourke did, and his brother "made it" through cancer. The actor admitted that if his brother passed away from cancer at a young age, he would not have been in the acting business. Rourke's brother finally passed away at the age of 50 in 2004.
Rourke said that he found solace in Rev. Peter Colapietro at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in New York City, who he would speak to on weekends. The actor admitted that for two years after his brother passed away, he could not get himself to pray. But the faith leader helped him through the difficult time.
"Father Pete saved me," Rourke admitted. The actor credited the pastor for saving him from "doing some really bad s---t" in the face of his then partner's admission that she was "raped and beaten up really badly." Rourke said he "had very dark plans for the people that did it" but that the pastor's "guidance" was the only thing that prevented him from "doing something really terrible."
According to Faithwire, Rourke now stars in "Man of God," a new film about the Greek Orthodox saint St. Nektarios of Aegina, whose good deeds faced persecution. Rourke said that the saint's story has a lot of "integrity." "Man of God" is written and directed by Yelena Popovic.
