Mickey Rourke "heartbreaking" says Wim Wenders

Mickey Rourke may have missed out on the best actor gong at the Venice Film Festival for his turn in The Wrestler, but Jury President Wim Wenders still found a way to pick the actor out for praise when he handed Darren Aronofsky the Golden Lion for best film.

"This is for a film with a truly heartbreaking performance in every sense of the word. And if I say heartbreaking, you know I mean Mickey Rourke," Wenders said.

And when it was Aronofsky's turn to speak, he highlighted Rourke's importance to the film's success. "He said it all. I need to thank Mickey Rourke for opening up his heart and soul and giving me the honor to remind the world what a great talent he is."

Venice Festival rules prevent Golden Lion, Silver Lion and Jury Prize winners from overlapping with the three acting awards, which may explain why Rourke lost out to Silvio Orlando for his performance in Pupi Avati's Il Papa Di Giovanna.

[Source: Screen Daily ]