Rourke's Pacino ambitions

Mickey Rourke aspired to be as successful as movie legend Al Pacino - but ended up paying the price for his dreams.

The Wrestler star looked up to the legendary actor and director when he was starting out in movies, wanting to become as big as Pacino.

But the actor's desire to achieve the same success as The Godfather star made Rourke think he was untouchable - and Hollywood ended up rejecting him.

He says, "I wanted to be as big as Al Pacino. I thought my acting ability was enough so I didn't play by the rules, I ignored all the politics, I upset people and in the end I lost everything."

Rourke battled drug addiction and spent years in the movie wilderness as a result of his attitude - but is now receiving critical acclaim and award recognition for his turn in the hit fight movie.

And the 56-year-old is adamant he won't do anything to jeopardise his current success: "Now I am back and I am going to stay with this work ethic until I die."

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