Mickey Rourke had certain requirements when he was offered the role of Ivan Vanko/Whiplash in Iron Man 2. He was, in fact, imprisoned during his travels through Russia. That would not be news if the former professional boxer was not conducting research for Whiplash. Yes, as part of his training for his role, the actor turned prisoner as he voluntarily spent some time in the Russian infamous Butyrka Prison.
The Robert Downey Jr. starrer’s cast and crew wisely avoided interfering with Rourke during this taxing research process, allowing him to fully inhabit the character’s mindset. There were many obstacles in the 2010 follow-up to the 2008 Iron Man, almost causing the whole thing to implode. Iron Man 2, a box office success of around $38 million over the first movie, virtually guaranteed that Marvel movies were here to stay, even though it was regarded as inferior to the first film.
Mickey Rourke Never Wanted His Ivan Vanko To Be ‘One Dimensional’ Bad Guy
While researching his Iron Man 2 role, Mickey Rourke went to the Butyrka prison, where he proposed that the character speak half Russian and half English. He also got gold teeth fitted into his mouth, hired whip coaches, and traveled the world to learn more about Vanko’s past, according to the MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios.
The week after Rourke’s filming, director Jon Favreau, 57, stated:
“He [Mickey Rourke] took it upon himself to fly to Russia and go to prison, which I thought showed some commitment. He keeps faxing me lines that he wants to translate into Russian that he wants to his cockatoo, I say, ‘that’s your prerogative.’”
Even the Robert Downey Jr. starrer Iron Man 2 cast and crew avoided getting in the way of Rourke, with guests being cautioned not to approach or interrupt the actor at any time.
Instead of just turning this Russian into a full-fledged murderous, vengeful bad guy, he wanted to add “some other layers” and colors. But despite his best efforts, most of the nuance in his performance was cut out of the movie. Speaking to MTV Splash Page, the Rumble Fish actor, 71, attributed Vanko’s shortcomings to both the studio and Favreau, accusing the latter of lacking conviction:
“If they let you play the bad guy with other dimensions other than one-dimensional. You have to fight for that though, to bring layers to the character. Otherwise, if you’re working for the wrong studio or let’s say a director that doesn’t have any balls, then they’re just gonna want it to be the evil bad guy.”
Robert Downey Jr. Also Contributed To Some Unusual Demands?
Not just Mickey Rourke was the movie star with the unusual request. Robert Downey Jr., in the first Iron Man, insisted on Classic Maya keyboards for every computer in Tony Star’s laboratories. The task of making the props fell to visual designer Ryan Meinerding. Jim Rothwell, an animatic editor at Marvel, stated (via MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios):
“You could see the steam coming out of his ears.”
Then Downey Jr. took things a step further for the second film. Even when he tried to explain it, his philosophy remained a disorganized collection of concepts. He recalled:
“I don’t know where I fall. Spiritual Green Party? There were times when I was the whole Hare Krishna thing, which is pretty far out. Now I would call myself a Jew-Bu, a Jewish- Buddhist. But there were many times when Catholicism saved my b*tt.”
Regarding his Tony Stark role as a hero, Downey Jr. said to Collider:
“It’s kind of heroic, but really kind of on his own behalf. So I think there’s probably a bit of an imposter complex and no sooner has he said, ‘I am Iron Man–’ that he’s now really wondering what that means..”
The action scenes and acting in Iron Man 2 were praised, even though critics thought the movie fell short of the first one. With over $623.9 million in box office receipts worldwide, the sequel ranks seventh in terms of total earnings for 2010. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
Iron Man 2 can be streamed on Disney Plus.
