Mickey Rourke Buys Putin Shirt, Expresses Support for Russian President

By Hilary Lewis

Count Mickey Rourke among the fans of Vladimir Putin.

The actor was among those who lined up at the Moscow Central department store in Red Square to buy a T-shirt depicting the face of the Russian president, Sky News reported.

Rourke chose a grey T-shirt, which cost 1,200 rubles ($33.41), and spoke fondly of Putin.

"If I didn’t like him, I wouldn’t buy the T-shirt believe me,” the actor said. “I met him a couple of times and he was a real gentleman, a very cool regular guy, looked me right in the eye. I think he is a good guy. If I didn’t, believe I wouldn’t wear the T-shirt.”

Rourke indicated in a video interview posted by Sky News that his Russian support may be due to him having a Russian girlfriend.

“To me it’s all about family,” he added. “I don’t give a s—t about the politics. That’s not my department.”

Monday marked the second time the shirts went on sale, but this time there seems to be more of a buying craze, Sky News reported.

Rourke, who received a best actor Oscar nomination for his critically acclaimed role in The Wrestler, has since appeared in Iron Man 2 and The Expendables and will next be seen in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, which opens Aug. 22.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Sky News HD

*     *     *     *     *

In a 2010 interview, Rourke talks about how he prepared to play Ivan Vanko (aka Whiplash) in Iron Man 2