‘It was the worst’: Bella Thorne exposes Mickey Rourke’s ‘gross’ behavior, says no one should’ve been put through that

Mickey Rourke is back in the news, but not for the reasons any actor would want. Bella Thorne, his co-star in the 2020 thriller Girl, has come forward with disturbing allegations about his behavior on set — and to call it “gross” might be putting it lightly.

In a series of candid social media posts, Thorne detailed what she called one of the worst professional experiences of her life, accusing Rourke of behavior that’s not just unprofessional but downright abusive.  According to Thorne, during a scene where she was positioned on her knees with her hands zip-tied behind her back, Rourke repeatedly used a metal grinder prop against her genital area through her jeans instead of her kneecap as scripted. The actress described being left with bruises on her pelvic bone and called the experience “one of the all-time worst experiences” of her acting career.

So.. yeah. Ew. pic.twitter.com/yv8fequR02

— BITCHIMBELLATHORNE (@bellathorne) April 11, 2025

But that’s not where Thorne’s allegations end. She described multiple disturbing incidents, including Rourke apparently finding amusement in humiliating her by deliberately covering her in dirt by revving an engine. Perhaps most troubling was Thorne’s account of being sent alone into Rourke’s trailer to essentially beg him to return to set and complete his scenes — placing a young actress in an obviously uncomfortable power dynamic that no production should ever create.

In response to the allegations, a representative for Mickey Rourke issued a statement denying any intentional wrongdoing. The statement emphasized that Rourke was unaware of Thorne’s discomfort during filming and expressed his willingness to cooperate with any formal inquiries into the matter. “These allegations are extremely serious,” the statement read. “Mr. Rourke adamantly denies any intentional misconduct. He was not made aware of any such concerns during filming and had no prior knowledge of Ms. Thorne’s discomfort until now.”

The timing of Thorne’s revelations is particularly noteworthy, coming on the heels of Rourke’s ejection from Celebrity Big Brother UK following homophobic comments directed at fellow contestant JoJo Siwa. In that incident, Rourke was caught on camera saying he planned to “vote the lesbian out real quick,” prompting Siwa to confront him about his homophobia. While Rourke offered what many viewed as a half-hearted apology—claiming he was “just talking smack” with “no bad intentions” — the damage is done, and he subsequently left the show.

The film industry has a long history of excusing bad behavior in the name of “artistic temperament” or “method acting,” particularly from male stars. Marlon Brando’s conduct on Last Tango in Paris or Klaus Kinski’s infamous rages on Herzog films were long discussed with a sort of perverse admiration rather than the condemnation they deserved. But in 2025, we supposedly know better.