Nicolas Cage was first offered and accepted the role of Randy “The Ram” Robinson in the movie “The Wrestler” before finally rejecting the lead role of the steroid-using grappler. The highly-regarded method actor implied that he quit the role because he was not willing to use anabolic steroids and make the physical transformation necessary for a believable performance as a professional wrestler. Director Darren Aronofsky gave the role to Mickey Rourke whose stunning performance (and physique) earned him a Golden Globe award and Oscar nomination (“Nicolas Cage: I Wasn’t ˜Dropped’ From ˜The Wrestler’,” March 11).
Access Hollywood caught up with Nicolas at the premiere of his new movie, Knowing, Monday night in New York, where the actor cleared up recent rumors that he was let go from the Darren Aronofsky-directed project.
I wasn’t quote ˜dropped’ from the movie, the 45-year-old actor told Access. I resigned from the movie because I didn’t think I had enough time to achieve the look of the wrestler who was on steroids, which I would never do.
Nicolas Cage was once known for an intense passion for method acting that took the technique to an entirely new level. His adamant refusal to use steroids for a movie role may suggest that Nicolas Cage’s method acting madness is part of his past.
To be a good actor you have to be something like a criminal,” Cage once remarked, “to be willing to break the rules to strive for something new…”
Nicolas Cage’s statements on steroids imply, purposefully or not, that Mickey Rourke must have used steroids for the role.
Mickey Rourke gained 43 lbs to play Randy “The Ram” Robinson. The rapid weight gain from 192 lb to very muscular 235lbs over a six month period already leading to speculation that Mickey Rourke used anabolic steroids. Rourke didn’t help matters with several ambigous statements regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Men’s Journal asked Rourke if he used anabolic steroids to prepare for his role in “The Wrestler” and he replied, “When I’m a wrestler, I behave like a wrestler.” This was interpreted as an affirmative response prompting Rourke to issue an equally ambiguous denial, “”I did some stuff. You wouldn’t classify it as steroids, but I did some heavy duty supplements… but not the regular stuff.”
The rumored steroid use by Mickey Rourke has largely been overlooked given the spectacular portrayal of Randy “The Ram” Robinson. If anything, Rourke, as an actor, has been applauded for his devotion to method acting which may or may not have included steroid use. This is in sharp contrast to public perception of professional athletes’ devotion to maximizing sports performance.
Photo credit: Flickr/Tostie14
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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