Mickey Rourke once publicly blasted actor Tom Cruise, explaining that he has been doing the “same s**t” for the past 35 years.

Without a doubt, actor Tom Cruise is one of the best actors of all time. With a remarkable career spanning decades, Cruise has consistently proved his versatility as an actor. However, there is one Hollywood star who thinks Cruise is irrelevant: Mickey Rourke.

Tom Cruise in a still from Top Gun: Maverick

Tom Cruise in a still from Top Gun: Maverick

With his movies grossing over $4 billion in North America and over $11.5 billion worldwide, Cruise is one of the highest-grossing box-office stars of all time. Not only that, he is also one of the world’s highest-paid actors. The actor’s association with the Church of Scientology has been a topic of discussion for a long time now and has invited a lot of criticism for the actor.

Mickey Rourke has no respect for Tom Cruise

Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2

Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2

Last year, actor Mickey Rourke publicly blasted actor Tom Cruise during his appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, stating that Cruise is no longer “relevant” and has been doing the same movie roles for the last 35 years,

“That doesn’t mean s–t to me. [Tom Cruise has] been doing the same part for 35 effing years. I got no respect for that. I don’t care about money or power. I care about… when I watch Al Pacino or Christopher Walken working, or De Niro’s early work and Richard Harris and Ray Winstone, that’s the kind of actor I want to be like. A lot of guys that tried to stretch as actors.”

It’s true that Cruise’s big-budget movies often take away the spotlight from real cinema but that’s what his fans want. With the Mission: Impossible franchise, Cruise has been playing the same role as Ethan Hunt since 1996. Further in the interview when Morgan asked Rourke if Cruise is a good actor, he simply said, “I think he’s irrelevant.” Rourke initially gained popularity because of his work as Ivan Vanko / Whiplash in 2010’s Iron Man 2.

Many Hollywood stars hate Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise in a still from Top Gun (1986)Tom Cruise in a still from Top Gun (1986)

Over the years, Cruise has made many enemies in the entertainment industry, especially in the 2000s, when he sparked controversy with his criticisms of psychiatry and anti-depressant drugs, and his efforts to promote Scientology. In the mid-2000s, Cruise criticized actress Brooke Shields for using the drug Paxil and Sheilds responded that Cruise “should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them.”

Cruise’s anti-psychiatry ideas reportedly even caused issues in his friendship with director Steven Spielberg. In 2013, Cruise compared the work he’d done in the Middle East for a movie to soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Shortly after this, actor Mark Wahlberg indirectly blasted the actor for his comments.