When Micky Rourke’s dog saved him from suicide

Actor opens up about how his canine friends always came to the rescue

Known for his devil may care attitude and tough guy persona onscreen, Mickey Rourke has had his own share of emotional turmoil. In a recent interview with Page Six, the Academy Award-nominated actor revealed that he suffered from such frustrating emotional crises that he had even contemplated committing suicide as a solution.

“I was going through a really rough time. I was hurting myself and I was sitting in the closet one day. I couldn’t take it anymore and picked up a gun,” told Rourke. The actor who has six pet dogs added that he would have proceeded with his decision had it not been for his canine friends.

“I was deciding what part of my head to put it on and my dog, Beau Jack, cried and I looked over and he looked up at me like this and... he said [with his eyes], who’s going to look after me? And it made me put the gun down. I was ready to go,” he added.

Rourke’s love for his pets has been well-documented with the actor even going on to thank his dogs during his Golden Globe acceptance speech for his role in The Wrestler. “Sometimes when a man’s alone, all you got is your dog. And they’ve meant the world to me,” he said.

According to the New York Times, his dog, Beau Jack, died in 2002 after a heart attack. Rourke even attempted to revive the dog using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but it was to no avail.

The actor spoke about his personal struggles at the screening of the documentary, Eating Happiness. The documentary is about the brutal dog meat consumption by humans through the perspective of animal rights activist Genlin.

Rourke recently wrapped up filming for the movie, Weaponized, which is expected to release in 2016. The film also stars Tom Sizemore, Johnny Messner and Taylor Cole.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2015.

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