Authors: Sandro Monetti
J
UST WHEN IT SEEMED
M
ICKEY’S POST-BOXING ACTING COMEBACK WAS GOING NOWHERE,
F
RANCIS
F
ORD
C
OPPOLA SUDDENLY CALLED AND OFFERED HIM A POTENTIALLY CAREER-REVIVING ROLE IN HIS MAJOR NEW MOVIE
THE RAINMAKER
(1997).
M
ICKEY KNEW STUDIO CHIEFS HAD BEEN HESITANT BUT
C
OPPOLA HAD FOUGHT TO ADD HIM TO A CAST INCLUDING MUCH HOTTER NAMES LIKE
M
ATT
D
AMON,
C
LARE
D
ANES, AND
D
ANNY
D
E
V
ITO.
H
E WASN’T GOING TO LET
C
OPPOLA DOWN.
G
RATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND DELIGHTED TO BE WORKING AGAIN WITH THE DIRECTOR AGAINST WHOM HE JUDGES ALL OTHERS,
M
ICKEY GAVE A SCENE-STEALING PERFORMANCE IN THE PRESTIGE PROJECT, WHICH
J
OHN
G
RISHAM WOULD CALL THE BEST SCREEN ADAPTATION OF ONE OF HIS BOOKS.
S
PORTING GREASED-BACK SILVER HAIR, A NEAT GOATEE BEARD, YELLOW-TINTED SUNGLASSES, AND SHARP SUITS,
M
ICKEY IS FUN TO WATCH AS Bruiser Stone, a slick, shifty, and shrewd veteran lawyer who gives Matt Damon’s law student character a job with his minor law firm, which leads to the rookie landing the case of a lifetime. Mickey was so entertaining that audiences who viewed the film at preview test screenings kept saying they wanted to see more of his character. So Coppola gave them their wish by calling Mickey back to shoot extra scenes that were edited into the final cut. Up to this point, Mickey had generally chosen not to attend premieres of his movies because, in common with other perfectionist actors, he doesn’t like watching himself on screen. But he made an exception for this one and liked what he saw.
THE RAINMAKER
MADE $50 MILLION AT THE
US
BOX OFFICE, BUT BEING IN A HIT DIDN’T GIVE
M
ICKEY THE KIND OF CAREER BOOST HE MIGHT HAVE EXPECTED.
I
NSTEAD OF OFFERS FROM OTHER MAJOR STUDIOS AND LEADING DIRECTORS, HE WAS CATAPULTED BACK TO THE WORLD OF LOW-BUDGET AND OFTEN LOWER-QUALITY MOVIES, STARTING WITH A SMALL ROLE IN
BUFFALO ’66
(1998).
T
HIS BLEAK DRAMA WITH A MEAGER BUDGET OF $1.5 MILLION WAS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
V
INCENT
G
ALLO, WHO ALSO STARRED AS A YOUNG MAN JUST OUT OF PRISON WHO MANAGED TO HIDE THE FACT HE WAS IN JAIL FROM HIS DYSFUNCTIONAL PARENTS WHO THINK INSTEAD THAT HE GOT MARRIED AND WENT TO WORK FAR AWAY.
W
HEN HE GOES TO VISIT THEM, HE NEEDS A WOMAN TO PRETEND TO BE HIS BRIDE AND KIDNAPS A TAP DANCER, PLAYED BY
C
HRISTINA
R
ICCI, WHOM HE FORCES TO PLAY THE PART.
M
ICKEY, IN THE ROLE OF A SLEAZY AND VENGEFUL BOOKIE, CALLED
T
HE
B
OOKIE, WHICH TOOK LESS THAN A DAY TO FILM, IS IN THE MOVIE FOR ONLY A FEW MINUTES BUT STILL MANAGES TO ACT EVERYONE ELSE OFF THE SCREEN.
H
IS CHARACTER WAS OWED $10,000 BY
G
ALLO’S CHARACTER OVER A LOSING BET ON THE
B
UFFALO
B
ILLS IN THE
S
UPER
B
OWL.
W
HEN HE COULDN’T PAY,
T
HE
B
OOKIE FORCED HIM TO TAKE THE FALL FOR ONE OF HIS CRIMINAL CRONIES AND SERVE THE PRISON SENTENCE.
T
HE STORY OF HOW HE CAME TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FILM IS JUST AS ENTERTAINING AS ANYTHING IN THE MOVIE.
M
ICKEY WAS STRUGGLING FOR CASH AT THE TIME – OWING MONEY ON BACK TAXES AMONG OTHER THINGS – AND WAS FINDING IT HARD TO GET HIRED FOR MOVIES.
V
INCENT
G
ALLO UNDERSTOOD THE SITUATION AND HAD A NEAT SOLUTION, OFFERING TO PAY
M
ICKEY $100,000 IN CASH TO BE IN
BUFFALO ’66
.
M
ICKEY GOT STRAIGHT ON A PLANE TO
B
UFFALO,
N
EW
Y
ORK, DID HIS WORK FOR FOUR HOURS, AND LEFT WITH A PAPER BAG FULL OF MONEY.
A
MERICAN MOVIE STARS GENERALLY DON’T LIKE TO TAKE ON
TV
WORK, BELIEVING IT IS A STEP DOWN AND LOWERS THEIR MYSTIQUE, BUT BEGGARS CAN’T BE CHOOSERS AND HARD-UP
M
ICKEY TOOK ON THE LEAD PART IN A
US
CABLE
TV
FILM CALLED
THICKER THAN BLOOD
(1998), BOTH FOR THE MONEY AND THE WELCOME OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY A NICE-GUY ROLE.
H
E GIVES A GOOD, SENSITIVE PERFORMANCE AS
F
ATHER
F
RANK
L
ARKIN, A
C
ATHOLIC PRIEST TRYING TO HELP TROUBLED STREET KIDS IN HIS PARISH.
G
IVEN HIS
C
ATHOLIC BACKGROUND,
M
ICKEY LOOKED COMFORTABLE IN THE ROLE AND ELEVATED THE MATERIAL WITH SOME UNDERPLAYED ACTING.
N
EXT CAME ANOTHER BRIEF BUT FLASHY PERFORMANCE IN CRIME THRILLER
THURSDAY
(1998), A KIND OF
PULP FICTION
WANNABE IN WHICH
M
ICKEY SHOWS UP AS A BAD GUY NAMED
K
ASAROV.
H
E IS ONE OF A SERIES OF HOODS WHO COME CALLING AFTER A FORMER-DRUG-DEALER-GONE-STRAIGHT, PLAYED BY
T
HOMAS
J
ANE, MAKES THE MISTAKE OF ALLOWING HIS HEROIN-DEALER MATE, PLAYED BY
A
ARON
E
CKHART, TO stay at his place for a few days. Despite the good cast and some interesting ideas, the film made no impact.
T
HEN IT WAS VIOLENCE ALL THE WAY IN
POINT BLANK
(1998) WHICH SEES A BUSLOAD OF DANGEROUS CRIMINALS TAKE OVER A
T
EXAS SHOPPING MALL AND SHOOT EVERY SHOPPER, SECURITY GUARD, OR COP WHO COMES ANYWHERE NEAR THEM.
I
NTO THIS MAYHEM WADES
M
ICKEY’S PUMPED-UP CHARACTER,
R
UBY
R
AY, WHO PLANS TO RESCUE HIS ESCAPED CONVICT BROTHER FROM THE CENTER OF THE CARNAGE BY GOING ALL
DIE HARD
AND FIGHTING A ONE-MAN WAR AGAINST ALL COMERS.
F
ORMER REAL-LIFE JAILBIRD AND BOXER
D
ANNY
T
REJO, WHO WOULD LATER STAR WITH
M
ICKEY IN BOTH
ANIMAL FACTORY
AND
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO
, IS ALSO FUN TO WATCH AS THE TOUGHEST OF THE BAD GUYS, BUT OTHERWISE THE MOVIE IS JUST LOTS AND LOTS OF MINDLESS BUTCHERY.
S
UDDENLY, HOWEVER, A PASSAGE FROM UNDER-PAR
B
-MOVIES TO ARTISTIC EPICS OPENED UP AS
M
ICKEY GOT THE KIND OF OUT-OF-THEBLUE OFFER THAT GREAT ACTORS DREAM ABOUT.
R
ECLUSIVE BUT BRILLIANT DIRECTOR
T
ERRENCE
M
ALICK WANTED HIM FOR A ROLE IN HIS LONG AWAITED
W
ORLD
W
AR
II
FILM
THE THIN RED LINE
(1998), WHICH WAS TO BE THE METICULOUS MOVIEMAKER’S FIRST PICTURE IN TWENTY YEARS.
E
VERY ACTOR IN
H
OLLYWOOD WAS KEEN TO BE PART OF THIS LANDMARK PROJECT ABOUT THE CONFLICT IN THE
S
OUTH
P
ACIFIC, AND IT WAS A GREAT TRIBUTE TO
M
ICKEY THAT HE WAS SELECTED AS PART OF THE LARGE ENSEMBLE CAST WHILE BIGGER STARS WHO HAD CHASED AFTER ROLES, INCLUDING
T
OM
C
RUISE,
L
EONARDO
D
I
C
APRIO AND
R
OBERT
D
E
N
IRO, DID NOT.
S
O
M
ICKEY HEADED OFF TO
A
USTRALIA FOR THE FILMING WITH HIGH HOPES FOR HIS ROLE AS A BATTLE-SCARRED SOLDIER AND WAS THRILLED TO BE WORKING WITH
M
ALICK, A CINEMATIC CRAFTSMAN WHO HAD WON HIS RESPECT WITH THE 1975 CLASSIC
BADLANDS
.
B
UT IT WAS ALL TO END IN DISAPPOINTMENT AS
M
ICKEY’S ROLE WAS EVENTUALLY SPLICED OUT OF THE FINAL CUT.
H
E WASN’T ALONE.
T
HE SAME THING HAPPENED TO
G
ARY
O
LDMAN,
V
IGGO
M
ORTENSEN AND
B
ILLY
B
OB
T
HORNTON AS THE DIRECTOR EDITED DOWN HIS FIVE-HOUR CUT TO THE CONTRACTED RUNNING TIME OF UNDER THREE HOURS.
M
ICKEY DOES GET THANKED IN THE END CREDITS BUT THAT WAS LITTLE CONSOLATION.
H
E FELT HE GAVE ONE OF HIS BEST EVER PERFORMANCES IN
THE THIN RED LINE
AND YET NO ONE GOT TO SEE IT.
M
EANWHILE, THE RAMBLING FILM FARED BADLY AT THE BOX OFFICE, YET BECAME A FAVORITE WITH CRITICS AND LANDED SEVEN
O
SCAR NOMINATIONS, BUT NO WINS.
S
HORT OF MONEY AND GOOD OPPORTUNITIES, AND FEELING LIKE A HAS-BEEN,
M
ICKEY NOW DRIFTED FROM ONE LOW-BUDGET FILM TO ANOTHER, MAKING THE KIND OF MOVIES DESTINED FOR THE
DVD
DISCOUNT BINS RATHER THAN THE BIG SCREEN.
T
HESE INCLUDED THE FORGETTABLE DRAMA
COUSIN JOEY
(1999), PRODUCED BY ACTION STAR
S
TEVEN
S
EAGAL AND DIRECTED BY FASHION DESIGNER
S
ANTE
D
’
O
RAZIO, ABOUT A PAIR OF DRUG ADDICTS CAUGHT UP IN THE
N
EW
Y
ORK UNDERWORLD.
SHERGAR
(1999) WAS INSPIRED BY THE MYSTERY DISAPPEARANCE OF THE GREAT RACEHORSE OF THE SAME NAME AND IMAGINED WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO THE
D
ERBY WINNER.
S
IGHTINGS OF THE MOVIE HAVE BEEN AS RARE AS GLIMPSES OF THE STALLION HIMSELF IN RECENT YEARS BUT IT’S WORTH TRACKING DOWN AS THE FILM IS ACTUALLY QUITE INVOLVING AND INTRIGUING.
M
ICKEY PLAYS
G
AVIN
O
’
R
OURKE, A MEMBER OF AN
IRA
TERROR CELL THAT KIDNAPS THE HORSE AND HOLDS HIM FOR RANSOM, ONLY FOR A YOUNG STABLE BOY TO FOIL THEIR PLANS.
M
ICKEY’S NEXT EFFORT,
OUT IN FIFTY
(1999), ALSO HAD ITS MOMENTS.
A
NOTHER LOW-BUDGET CRIME DRAMA, THIS ONE FOUND
M
ICKEY AS VENGEFUL
J
ACK
B
RACKEN, A PILL-POPPING, HARD-DRINKING COP HUNTING down the man who killed his wife. But, again, few people saw it.
E
VEN FEWER SAW
SHADES
(1999), AN ODD FILM THAT’S NOW HARD TO FIND AND NOT REALLY WORTH THE EFFORT.
A
B
ELGIAN PICTURE SHOT IN
A
NTWERP AND
B
RUSSELS, IT STARS
M
ICKEY AS DOWN-ON-HIS-LUCK
H
OLLYWOOD FILM DIRECTOR
P
AUL
S
.
S
ULLIVAN WHO GOES TO
B
ELGIUM AND MAKES A MOVIE OVER THERE FOR THE MONEY – A CASE OF ART IMITATING LIFE PERHAPS?
T
HE MOVIE WITHIN A MOVIE SHOWS THE FILM BUSINESS TO BE FULL OF UNSCRUPULOUS PRODUCERS AND PRIMA DONNA STARS, SO THEY CERTAINLY GOT THAT PART RIGHT.
C
OULD IT GET ANY MORE BIZARRE FOR
M
ICKEY THAN A LOW-BUDGET MOVIE IN
B
ELGIUM?
U
NFORTUNATELY, THE ANSWER IS YES.
W
HEN
S
TEVE
B
USCEMI CALLED AND OFFERED
M
ICKEY THE PART OF A TRANSVESTITE IN A PRISON MOVIE HE WAS DIRECTING,
M
ICKEY THOUGHT HIS OLD CO-STAR FROM
THE LAST OUTLAW
WAS JOKING.
S
URELY HE WANTED HIM TO PLAY A STANDARD TOUGH GUY CONVICT.
H
E REALIZED
S
TEVE WAS SERIOUS ONLY WHEN THE SCRIPT FOR
ANIMAL FACTORY
(2000) TURNED UP IN HIS MAIL BOX WITH A NOTE ASKING HIM TO LOOK AT THE PART OF FLAMBOYANT JAILBIRD
J
AN THE
A
CTRESS.
B
USCEMI REALLY RATED
M
ICKEY AS AN ACTOR AND KNEW THAT ROLE WOULD REQUIRE SOMEONE TERRIFIC TO MAKE IT SEEM REAL RATHER THAN A JOKE.
M
ICKEY FOUND HIMSELF INTRIGUED BY THE IDEA OF PLAYING A CHARACTER DESCRIBED AS A MUSCULAR TRANSVESTITE WITH GREEN FINGERNAILS, THICK LIPSTICK, AND A LISP.
H
E SAW IT AS A TRUE ACTING CHALLENGE, AND
M
ICKEY REALLY COMMITTED TO THE ROLE.
F
OR THE PERFORMANCE, HE USED HIS MEMORIES OF HIS EARLY DAYS IN
LA
WORKING AS A BOUNCER IN THE TRANSVESTITE CLUB.
H
E HAD ALSO WORKED IN ONE IN
M
IAMI WHEN HE WAS EIGHTEEN, SO HE KNEW THE CURSING, LISPING, MUSCULAR TRANNY TYPES AND WENT ALL OUT TO TURN HIMSELF INTO ONE OF THEM FOR THE FILM.
H
E HAD HIS DENTIST TAKE OUT THE FIXED BRIDGE THAT KEEPS HIS TWO FAKE FRONT TEETH IN PLACE AND THAT HELPED HIM ACHIEVE THE LISP.
N
EXT HE WENT TO A
B
EVERLY
H
ILLS NAIL SALON FOR A
F
RENCH MANICURE AND THEN HAD HIS EYEBROWS WAXED AND RESHAPED SO THEY WERE HIGHER AND LONGER.
H
E ALSO HAD HIS HAIR CUT EXTREMELY SHORT.
C
ONTINUING HIS USUAL TRADITION OF PICKING OUT HIS OWN OUTFITS FOR ROLES, HE WENT TO FAMOUS ADULTS-ONLY
LA
SHOPS LIKE
T
RASHY
L
INGERIE AND
T
HE
P
LEASURE
C
HEST AND BOUGHT A RED SATIN BRA AND RED
G
-STRING TO WEAR IN THE FILM.
A
S HE VISITED OTHER LINGERIE STORES AND BOUTIQUES OVER THE COURSE OF TEN DAYS, TRYING ON WOMEN’S CLOTHES,
M
ICKEY WOULD GET STRANGE LOOKS, ESPECIALLY FROM CUSTOMERS AND STAFF WHO RECOGNIZED HIM.
H
E EVEN ENDED UP IN THE TABLOIDS AS SPECULATION GREW ABOUT HIS STRANGE SHOPPING HABITS.