After denouncing a fundraiser set up in his name, actor Mickey Rourke said Friday that he is now trying to return the donated money.
The actor said he is “upset and embarrassed” about the fundraiser in a social media post, calling the fundraising effort a “scam,” which raised more than $100,000.
“My attorney is doing everything in his power to make sure anyone who gave their hard earned money is quickly returned,” the actor said, adding that there was more than $90,000 to be returned as of Friday.
The campaign was launched last week after reports that Rourke had been served a notice to vacate his Beverly Grove home.
The actor later took to social media and said he’s not asking his fans for money and does not understand why the fundraiser was created.
In December, Rourke was served with a notice to pay about $60,000 in back rent.
The fundraiser’s page recounts Rourke’s career transition from acting to boxing and describes his mental health and financial struggles.
“Boxing — real and punishing — left lasting physical and emotional scars, and the industry that once celebrated him moved on quickly,” the page said. “What followed were years of struggle not defined by spectacle, but by survival: health challenges, financial strain and the quiet toll of being left behind.”
According to the page, the fundraiser was created with Rourke’s “full permission” to help prevent eviction.
“Mickey Rourke is an icon — but his trajectory, as painful as it is, is also a deeply human one. It is the story of someone who gave everything to his work, took real risks and paid real costs,” the fundraising site stated. “Fame does not protect against hardship, and talent does not guarantee stability. What remains is a person who deserves dignity, housing and the chance to regain his footing.”
Rourke is an Oscar-nominated actor whose breakout role was in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film “Rumble Fish.” He won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nod for his starring role in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” in 2008. He is also known for his leading roles in movies such as “Barfly” and “Diner.”
