Mickey Rourke is a fan of Vladimir Putin. In fact, on Monday, the actor was so much a fan that he decided to buy a t-shirt depicting Russian President. The scene took place right in Moscow’s Red Square, according to The Independent, right at the launch of the t-shirt brand.
“If I didn’t like him, I wouldn’t buy the T-shirt believe me. 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 I wouldn’t wear the T-shirt,” Rourke said, all the while professing his love for Putin, “I have a Russian girlfriend, that’s all I care about. Her father is a good person, her mother’s great, her babushka’s wonderful. To me it’s all about family. I don’t give a f**k about the politics. That’s not my department.”
Speaking of wearing the shirt, Rourke put it on right away.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rourke paid 1200 rubles for the shirt, or roughly $33.41 in American currency.
Asia One News reported that the brand uses the slogan “the most polite of men”, which is derived from the Russian slang “polite men” describing the invasion of Russian troops in Crimea. The brand was specifically geared to glorify Russia’s actions in Crimea.
Despite the connection to Russian politics, Rourke said he bought the t-shirt for completely apolitical purposes, wishing “for peace all over.”
“Me and politics are like night and day. I never understand it, that’s why I’m an artist/actor,” he said according to Page Six. He added, “I like Russia, but I love USA.”
Freshly back from Russia, Mickey Rourke says Putin T-shirts were not ‘political’ – It's all PR http://t.co/cFngDaeskx pic.twitter.com/24hP1wPrph
— Russian Market (@russian_market) August 13, 2014
Image via RT America, YouTube