Director Darren Aronofsky struggled to get the 52-year-old star to give his all when he and co-star Evan Rachel Wood practiced their scenes.
It was only after Aronofsky blasted Rourke that he upped his game.
The filmmaker said: "Mickey blew his load on the first shot. Then take after take after take after that he was flat and Evan was like kicking his a*s."
"So after one take I grabbed him and said, 'Mickey you're like a virgin on his first date with a porn star, you got to reach deep and bring something back'. And he did."
The director also revealed he had to embarrass Rourke - who plays down-on-his-luck grappler Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in the critically acclaimed movie - into filming an elaborate fight scene after he refused to step inside the ring
Aronofsky explained: "He was like, 'Why don't you do the routine?' So I got into the ring and did the routine, the whole thing. And that shut him up for the day."
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