Actress Bella Thorne just made some pretty shocking claims against veteran actor Mickey Rourke. She alleges that he severely injured her during production of the 2020 thriller “Girl.” In a recent interview with Jacobin, Thorne described one particularly traumatizing experience. She alleges that Rourke improperly operated a metal grinder, which as a result bruised her genitals. The allegations were the subject of national news coverage. They expose troubling behavior on film sets and spark critical questions about how actresses are treated in the industry.
Bella Thorne, now 27 years old, described her experience working with the 72-year-old Rourke as “one of the all time worst experiences” of her acting career. She told the story of a traumatic episode while shooting one of the opening scenes where she’s on her knees with zip ties binding her wrists. Rourke was ordered to apply the grinder to Rourke’s kneecap, but he accidentally aimed it at her groin.
“He’s supposed to take a metal grinder to my knee cap and instead he used it on my genitals [through] my jeans,” – Bella Thorne
Thorne highlighted the physical damage the incident caused her. She explained that Rourke’s behavior resulted in her developing bruises on her pelvic bone.
“Hitting them over and over again. I had bruises on my pelvic bone – Working with Mickey was one of the all time worst experiences of my life working as an actress.” – Bella Thorne
It took a sinister turn as Thorne remembered needing to go into Rourke’s trailer to convince him to continue shooting. She described experiences of her humiliation, alleging that Rourke would call “crazy demands” at the crew while filming.
“I guess he thought it was funny to humiliate me in front of the entire crew,” – Bella Thorne
The allegations are all the more shocking given that they follow Rourke’s recent reality TV debacle. During his stint in Celebrity Big Brother UK, he was given a formal warning by producers for using homophobic slurs. He allegedly boasted to fellow contestant JoJo Siwa that he would “turn her straight.” He used a British slang term for cigarette that is considered a homophobic slur in the United States.
After Thorne’s allegations, Rourke was pulled from the set of Girl, which was penned and helmed by Chad Faust. He received Academy Award honors for his work just two years earlier on the 2008 film “The Wrestler.” These included both Golden Globe and BAFTA awards.
Mickey Rourke did not respond by press time to requests for comment on Thorne’s allegations. The incident has sparked discussions about workplace safety and respect within the film industry, emphasizing the importance of accountability for all individuals involved in filmmaking.