Actor Mickey Rourke surrendered a shotgun to authorities this week, saying he would soon be leaving the area and no longer wanted the firearm, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department told NBC4 Investigates.
Deputies responded to a call Wednesday afternoon from one of Rourke’s team members, who said he wanted to turn in the shotgun, the agency said. Deputies responded to a location where Rourke is staying and spoke with the Oscar-nominated actor, known for roles in “The Wrestler,” “Sin City,” “Barfly,” Diner” and other films.
The firearm was legally registered to the 73-year-old Rourke, whose breakout role was in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film “Rumble Fish.”
Deputies took possession of he shotgun for what’s called safekeeping. If Rourke does not retrieve the gun after a year, it will be destroyed.
Earlier this week, Rourke addressed what he called a “humiliating” GoFundMe effort to help him pay back rent. The donation drive indicated it was launched to help Rourke “stay in his home.”
In a video posted Monday on his Instagram, however, Rourke he was “frustrated” and “confused” because he was unaware of the campaign that targeted a goal of $100,000.
“That’s not me, okay?” he said. “I’d rather, if I needed money, I wouldn’t ask for no f—–g charity. I’d rather stick a gun up my a– and pull the trigger.
“My life is very simple, I wouldn’t go to outside sources like that.”
Rourke reflected on his career in the post and said he’s done a poor job of managing it. He added that the pandemic and writers’ strike were setbacks that led to financial problems on a rental property.