Could Any Actress Have a Comeback Like Mickey Rourke?
Filed under: Awards, Casting, Celebrities and Controversy
Mickey Rourke may not have won an Oscar, but The Wrestler nabbed him just about every other award worth having this year. While the Oscar would have been the shiny prize on top of the comeback cake (and we could debate until the end of time who deserved it more), I do think this is one of the rare times when it really was an honor just to be nominated.
Inspired by Rourke, Jezebel poses an interesting question -- could an actress ever enjoy a similar second coming? As Hortense puts it: "In the real world, an actor like Mickey Rourke can undergo extreme plastic surgery and dress like an insane scarecrow and wax poetic about his dogs and forget his co-stars names on stage and be forgiven, due to his talent and ability. Do actresses receive the same forgiveness? If Marisa Tomei, who is undergoing a comeback of her own, wasn't still quite lovely and couldn't "climb the pole," would she have been cast in her Oscar-nominated Wrestler role? If she was the one who was known for extreme plastic surgery and erratic behavior, would people even give her the time of day?"
A good example might by Sean Young. She's been angling for a comeback for years, but always seems to self-destruct. Last year at the Director's Guild Award, she drank too much and heckled people onstage before being whisked away to rehab. She was seen last week still acting drunk and disorderly. No director will touch her, but Rourke was in a similar boat not so very long ago. Winona Ryder is another actress who languishes in unemployment -- the whispers that Star Trek could be a comeback have vanished, not helped by her collapse on a British Airways flight. It's difficult to know if she's uninterested, or if she's such PR poison that no one is willing to take a chance.
Inspired by Rourke, Jezebel poses an interesting question -- could an actress ever enjoy a similar second coming? As Hortense puts it: "In the real world, an actor like Mickey Rourke can undergo extreme plastic surgery and dress like an insane scarecrow and wax poetic about his dogs and forget his co-stars names on stage and be forgiven, due to his talent and ability. Do actresses receive the same forgiveness? If Marisa Tomei, who is undergoing a comeback of her own, wasn't still quite lovely and couldn't "climb the pole," would she have been cast in her Oscar-nominated Wrestler role? If she was the one who was known for extreme plastic surgery and erratic behavior, would people even give her the time of day?"
A good example might by Sean Young. She's been angling for a comeback for years, but always seems to self-destruct. Last year at the Director's Guild Award, she drank too much and heckled people onstage before being whisked away to rehab. She was seen last week still acting drunk and disorderly. No director will touch her, but Rourke was in a similar boat not so very long ago. Winona Ryder is another actress who languishes in unemployment -- the whispers that Star Trek could be a comeback have vanished, not helped by her collapse on a British Airways flight. It's difficult to know if she's uninterested, or if she's such PR poison that no one is willing to take a chance.
You can also debate whether Young or Ryder deserve a comeback, but the question lingers. It's difficult enough for an actress to get a good role -- but how does a "fallen" one earn back her cred? Is it a matter of attitude? (Rourke has consistently been a humble and contrite fellow.) Hard work? Or would a woman have to rely too heavily on the fact that she'd survived the wilderness of unemployment with her looks intact?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-23-2009 @ 1:19PM
Eden said...
Kate Hepburn had a comeback from being "box office poison" in the 1930s. Then again, she was smart enough to buy the rights to "The Philadelphia Story" and make sure she played the part of Tracy. I'm not sure if many actresses today would do it for themselves rather than relying on a publicist.
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2-23-2009 @ 1:19PM
lecter said...
I think attitude and a sympathetic director counts for more than looks...Shannen Doherty still looks nice but no one wants a person like her on a set, while Aronofsky is famous for thinking outside the box, hence giving Rourke his chance.
I think Winona will get her chance, because she's a capable actress and an apparently nice person when not spaced out, as opposed to actresses whose b*tch reputation precedes them.
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2-23-2009 @ 1:30PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
Reminds me of Peter Fonda. He won a boatload of awards...but not the Oscar...for Ulee's Gold in '98-'99. And he's been around since, but the huge comeback never really materialized..
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2-23-2009 @ 1:53PM
Kate said...
What about Marisa Tomei? She was a joke after winning her first Oscar, made a lot of crap movies and now she's kicking ass again.
I think an actress could pull it off, but I think it's a matter of whipping out a performance as knock-out incredible as Randy the Ram.
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2-23-2009 @ 1:59PM
Tarheel said...
I see what you're saying, but while Rouke's face is a mess he had the physique to play the part. Also, the face kind of helped, given the role. If he was a fat slob he wouldn't have been cast.
And let's not jump the gun. One role doesn't make a comeback. We'll see what kind of work he's getting a year from now.
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2-23-2009 @ 2:04PM
Barranova69 said...
A man ages gracefully, a woman however....No woman could ever have a comback like Mickey Rourke, ever. It does not matter what Mikey looks like, only that he did a great job actinging the Wrestler. We don't go to see a woman act, when they start needing a boobjob and face implants, give it up. In the case of a woman its about T&A. Period.
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2-23-2009 @ 6:04PM
Jon said...
I have been saying for years an actress I would like to see get a major role again is Kathleen Turner. This is someone who was in some of the top films of the eighties and was quite an actress - still is. If someone could write a juicy supporting or lead role for her that is age appropriate I think she could be great.
Another actress from the eighties I have always liked and think WILL make a comeback is Ally Sheedy from The Brat Pack. She did "High Art" about ten years ago and got nice notices but I think she can get another great role offered to her.
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2-23-2009 @ 2:13PM
Kevin said...
Wow, well said Barranova. Just look at Meryl Streep. Soon as she hit 35 she was useless. Or Marissa Tomei, who's 44. Or Susan Sarandon. Or...well you get my point. I would hope that you were just kidding and were (in some sort of sick, twisted way) pointing out the ridiculousness of that attitude, but I've seen your other posts on cinematical and I'm afraid that you might actually think that.
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2-23-2009 @ 2:38PM
ex comic geek said...
I think men definitely have a better chance at a comeback. but its a 1million:1 shot whereas women probably have a 10million:1 shot.
Also, I think the problem is that most actresses are famous for being attractive and having some acting ability. Once their looks fade you have a mediocre actress. Rourke, Brando, even Alec Baldwin are known for being amazing actors. Their looks started fading but you're still left with an amazing actor.
Streep and Candace bergen are the only actresses off the top of my head that had the looks and ability.
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2-23-2009 @ 4:40PM
Ernie said...
I think everyone would love to see Winona Ryder back at the top where she belongs. Sh*t happens but she will overcome it. Winona is a true talent that deserves to be up there next to Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep.
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2-23-2009 @ 6:59PM
pedro canhenha said...
It's difficult for women to make comebacks in a business like that , since it lives so much of an image of timeless beauty and perfection. Some actresses manage to get past that since they have a talent that surpasses whatever their looks are. Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, Susan Sarandon, Sigourney Weaver, Glenn Close are just a few examples. But there are plenty of actresses that had great careers in the 80s/90s and are now but a whisper, namely Geena Davis, Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, Kathleen Turner and even Demi Moore. I don't think Winona Ryder falls in this category - she is much younger and is having the career she always wanted - oscillating between big budget films and smaller independent fare.
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2-23-2009 @ 6:37PM
Dawn said...
For a while now, I keep hoping Lindsay Lohan would get her act together. While a complete drugged out whorish mess, she was once a talented young actress with a lot of promise, sadly, like so many young people in Hollywood who have dysfunctional families, she's a never-was before she could become a has-been. Want to talk about box office poison, she ruined a movie with Meryl Streep in it, how does one do that?
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2-23-2009 @ 5:50PM
jess said...
Diane Lane kind of falls into the comeback category.
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2-24-2009 @ 4:30PM
Cannen said...
If you take an actress like Natalie Portman or Kate Winslet, and they keep their noses clean, they have the talent and the looks to stay in the public eye and keep acting.
If you took those same actresses and they had just dropped off the face of the Earth, then just come back, do you think they could have a comeback?
How about Corey Feldman/Haim? Ted from Bill and Ted? Scott Baio? Granted, they aren't the most talented in the biz, but still.
As unfortunate as it is, Barranova69 did have a point. Young and attractive is very important to movies and Hollywood - more so for woman. When a woman gets to a certain age, all you have left is mother/grandmother roles in Hollywood because the new sex symbol (Megan Fox) roles are filled by the newer models. They can do drama, but they usually do it in chick-flix or period pieces that a majority of men aren't interested in. From personal or external decisions, they stop being what we remember of them. What we remember them for.
It seems that men have it easier in both of their categories - Drama and Action. Stallone can come back and do another action film and still be interesting in the role. That's the niche he fills. That's what he has always been. Not so for Julie Roberts with a sequel to Pretty Woman. Sure, you could make the role interesting for her, but it isn't the same as before. She probably wouldn't be the sex symbol, she would be the reformed hooker or something. That's not the thing I remember her for.
BTW,
Is Jezebel one of those sites that all it does is bitch about male/female inequity? It seems like every post that references them is always of the same variety. i.e. "If a man does it, how come a woman can't?", "Why does this happen with woman but it never does with men?".
People will one day realize that men and woman are different and quit complaining. It's like, "How come that plane can just fly over that mountain? I have to climb up it or go through it just because I'm a train. How fair is that?". Both carry people, have wheels, engines, take you from one place to another, but they do it in different ways. They are not the same. The sooner that people quit worrying about their lot in life, do their best, quit looking to the past and move forward - the happier they will be.
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2-23-2009 @ 10:07PM
A_Von said...
In a reply to Cannen, it's the double standard and stereotypes that blogs (like Jezebel) and women want to change in Hollywood. It's a worthy question to ask why women are held to a such superficial standard compared to men. It's obvious that the film industry is still heavily male dominated, just look at how few recognized women directors there are out there. Because of this, it's easy for the industry to write off older women and to give less than compelling material to women actors and viewers. What is so horrible about a women aging? Is it because it ruins some sort of immature fantasy for the opposite sex that women stay these pristine, sexually potent, and youthful creatures? Films deliver a small view of the human life cycle, especially when it comes to aging and, inevitably, death. However, I hope for things to change and for subject matters to broaden and that includes debunking this forever youthful and beautiful female myth.
Also, I realize that men and women are not the same, duh. However, the whole idea of being separate but equal usually involves one party being dominant over the other. So, even though your sex (presuming you are male) is on the ruling team, try and look at it from the other side.
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2-24-2009 @ 1:12AM
ex comic geek said...
I think a better question would be, why do women hold other women to a superficial standard when compared to men. Women seem to be re-enforcing the double standard of achievement. I've yet to hear another woman mention how great a mathematician Winnie from the Wonder Years is. I just keep hearing superficialites about who an actress is wearing and how thin she looks.
As far as women in hollywood, directing probably doesn't appeal to women as much as some of the other aspects of filmmaking. The greatest producers, writers and editors are women, they seem to be thriving. You might as well complain that there aren't many women in cinematography, sound & special effects.
2-26-2009 @ 8:58PM
Dan said...
Jane Fonda tried something like that a few years back with that horrible movie Monster-In-Law. I see someone like her (maybe even her still) doing that. After all, Fonda was in Georgia Rule, an equally horrible movie, but at least she's getting work. She's also got the ability (like Rourke did) to make a comeback. And, remember, it took Rourke a long while to comeback-many thankless supporting roles in good stuff (The Rainmaker, Sin City) and bad stuff (Masked and Anonymous, Spun).
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3-04-2009 @ 10:54PM
Rha said...
I'd like to see Rachel Ward make a big comeback.
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