When 5 live's George Riley met Mickey Rourke
|11:00 UK time, Tuesday, 15 February 2011
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Video: 5 live's George Riley speaks to Mickey Rourke and Joe Calzaghe
Until now attempting to convince rock god Alice Cooper that I wasn't Jude Law would count as my most surreal sports broadcasting moment. That has been comfortably eclipsed last weekend when two days of commentating and filming at rugby league's Millennium Magic Weekend threw me into an even more unexpected situation.
One minute I was sat pre-match on the players' bench chatting to Leeds players ahead of their derby game against Bradford. The next I was being dragged away by an adrenaline-filled producer exclaiming:
"Mickey Rourke's here," he said. "And you're going to interview him now!"
The Hollywood A-lister was a surprise attendee at the weekend's 7-match rugby league extravaganza in Cardiff as he embarks upon a new project. He will portray Gareth Thomas in a film about the life of the gay Welsh rugby player.
Rourke had flown in to watch the former British Lions star in action for Crusaders RL against Salford to research the role he has decided to play. Rourke duly arrived from the players' tunnel to gasps and cheers from the thousands of rugby league fans who have descended en masse to Wales, flanked by boxing legend Joe Calzaghe.
I've never really struggled with nerves but standing in the middle of this famous sporting theatre awaiting the arrival of a global movie celeb is a little different to a chinwag with the Harlequins RL chief executive. Fortunately Rourke was warm and engaging.
His brown-leather fingerless-gloved handshake was also one of the firmer that I have experienced. I opted to stick with what I knew - rugby league, and quickly found Rourke knew nothing about it at all!
"We are in no rush to make this film," he said, as he explained his surprising new role. His interest in learning about the sport appeared genuine however, and he's vowed to train non-stop until he's in the same incredible shape he got himself in for The Wrestler. Joe Calzaghe is going to help Rourke get in shape for the role and told me he now wants an acting career too, so his new friendship with Rourke will no doubt help.
Needless to say I've offered to assist Rourke with guiding him into the great sport of rugby league. He said he'd call me rather than vice versa...
George Riley is 5 live's sports presenter
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