Mickey Rourke is not impressed with Hollywood colleague, Tom Cruise, who is currently smashing box office records after reprising his Top Gun role 36 years later in Paramount's biggest domestic grosser ever, Top Gun: Maverick.
In an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored, Rourke–who is known for his work in films like The Expendables, and The Wrestler–said of Cruise's success with the Top Gun sequel:
"That doesn't mean sh*t to me."
"The guy's been doing the same effing part for 35 years, ya know? I've got no respect for that."
\u201c"The guy's been doing the same effing part for 35 years... I got no respect for that."\n\nMickey Rourke tells Piers Morgan he thinks Tom Cruise is "irrelevant" as an actor.\n\n@piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #MickeyRourke | #PiersMorganUncensored\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
"I don't care about money and power," said the 69-year-old when asked why he was critical of Cruise.
Rourke then mentioned the names of actors who inspire him.
"I care about when I watch Al Pacino work and Chris Walken and [Robert] 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. Like Monty Clift and [Marlon] Brando back in the day. A lot of guys who tried to stretch as actors."
When Morgan asked, "You don't think Tom Cruise is a good actor?" Rourke replied:
"I think he's irrelevant in my world."
Some people agreed with Rourke.
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV Tom Cruise is good for what he does but I have no interest in those movies, they bore me to tears. The Wrestler had more depth than any of Tom's films. Quality not quantity!\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV Yes absolutely he is. He is very much a one trick pony man. But you could say the same of others too. He makes a lot of money doing it.\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
Others sensed jealously and implied Rourke was the "irrelevant" one.
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV Mickley Rourke net worth $10m ,Tom Cruise net worth $600m . I'd say Cruise is more relevant than Rourke will ever be and that bothers him.\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV Genuine question, who is Mickey Rourke? I\u2019ve literally never seen or heard of him before.\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV I thought Cruise was great in Collateral, Edge of Tomorrow, Reacher (the 1st), American Made, sure he has his franchise with MI, but I think Mickey is rather off here. I love Mickey (back in the day) but he's pretty irrelevant these days. Would love to see Cruise do more tho...\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV Sorry, but what exactly has Mickey Rourke done in the last 20 years except for get a lot of plastic surgery making him unrecognizable? Nobody knows who he is, and I\u2019d say couldn\u2019t care less about his opinion of Tom Cruise\u2019s movies.\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV Well... To stay on top of Top Gun after 35 years says something about Tom Cruise.... He's got STAYING POWER, that's for sure! I respect that! Most actors DON'T HAVE that without stretching their faces out to the extreme to try and look younger. Tom has aged like a fine wine.\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV The interview itself is irrelevant and has not much to do with moviemaking or acting. However, it has plenty to do with ego, yellow press, and a narrow view of entertainment. Go be Brando, Mickey, it's not what Tom does.\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
Some moviegoers understood what Rourke was trying to articulate but disagreed with his criticism of Cruise.
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV I agree in that he\u2019s a \u201cmovie star\u201d as opposed to an \u201cactor\u201d he just acts like himself in everything, but I don\u2019t agree that makes him irrelevant. It works for him and I\u2019ve enjoyed some of his films. It\u2019s like arguing that pop music isn\u2019t music because it\u2019s not classical\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV like how he named off a bunch of actors who all have the same style of acting in every film. It's ok for Pacino and Deniro to play the same tough guy role in every film, but not for Cruise to play the good guy role.\nhttps://t.co/wDs1JeG67T\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV This man has worked with guys like Sly, Arnold, Statham and a bunch more actors who feel a bit "one-dimensional" yet they excel at their craft. You can include Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis on that list as well. I wonder if Rourke thinks they're irrelevant too.\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV Really Mickey? What parts do you think you can get now after so much cosmetic surgery? Tom Cruise appeals to the "Action" movie genre and works hard at it. He was terrific in Rain Man, Jerry Maguire, a Few Good Men, and The Firm. He entertains. Wrestler was great but not for all\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV It's true, Tom Cruise has been successful at what he's doing, it works for him and he does it very well be it it's one dimensional but he's not someone you'd learn from in an acting masterclass if you want a diversified career but he's not irrelevant as Mickey Rourke says.\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
One user saw Rourke's point, but it didn't benefit the actor.
\u201c@PiersUncensored @piersmorgan @TalkTV He's not wrong, but I'll always choose a Tom Cruise movie over a Mickey Rourke movie.\u201d— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@Piers Morgan Uncensored) 1657569243
Rourke recently worked with Roman Polanski in the upcoming drama, The Palace, which is set for a November release.
Top Gun: Maverick has surpassed the $600 million mark in domestic ticket sales and is at $595.6 million internationally.
It became the first movie of the year to surpass $1 billion globally, according to Variety.
Brian Robbins, Paramount’s president and CEO, celebrated the sequel's success after it surpassed Titanic's first-run release as the studio’s highest-grossing domestic film in its 110-year history.
He said in the following statement:
“'Top Gun: Maverick’ is a phenomenal motion picture, and we take deep pride in celebrating this tremendous achievement alongside Tom Cruise, our filmmakers and cast, our marketing and distribution teams, and, of course, all the new and original 'Top Gun' fans, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible.”
@arianagrande/Instagram
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Cars Must See GIF by CreatorFocus.com 
Hungry Chocolate Chip Cookies GIF by Imperfect Foods 
classic film vintage GIF by FilmStruck 
Temptation Island Sleeping GIF by RTL 
Outer Space GIF by BBC