Mickey Rourke was transformed into a professional wrestler by the uncle of grappler-turned-Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson.
Rourke spent months at former World Wrestling Federation star Afa Anoa'i's Wild Samoan Training Center in Florida to prepare for his role as fallen ring favourite Randy 'The Ram' Johnson in The Wrestler.
And Dwayne Johnson - who used to wrestle under the name The Rock - reveals he kept a close eye on Rourke's transformation from actor to muscle-bound athlete.
He tells Moviefone.com, "My uncle actually trained Mickey for the movie, and he would call me weekly and give me progress reports on Mickey. That's a tough task to go from just being an actor to becoming not only a professional wrestler, but a professional wrestler who's wrestled for 25 years. My uncle was amazed at Mickey's progress and his desire to do everything. That takes commitment."
And Johnson insists he is a huge fan of the film, insisting it accurately depicted the wrestling world.
He adds, "I loved the movie. I thought Mickey's performance was outstanding. I thought that the movie that Darren Aronofsky created was real and memorable. That world -­ it's a very visceral, authentic world that he created, and I can't say enough great things about the movie, and I'm very proud of Mickey."
Rourke's performance in the movie earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination - but he lost out to Sean Penn, who took home the prize for Milk at February's (09) ceremony.