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 gray 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 me I wouldn’t wear the T-shirt.”
Rourke indicated in a video interview posted by Sky News that his support for Russia may be due to him having a Russian girlfriend.
“To me it’s all about family,” he added. “I don’t give a shit about the politics. That’s not my department.”
Monday marked the second time the shirts went on sale, but this time there seemed to be more of a buying craze, Sky News reported.
Rourke, who received a best actor Oscar nomination for his critically acclaimed role in 2008’s 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.
