Bella Thorne has come forward with serious allegations against her former co-star Mickey Rourke, following the backlash he has faced for making homophobic remarks to JoJo Siwa on Celebrity Big Brother UK.
Rourke, 72, received a formal warning from the show’s producers and later issued an apology for the offensive comments directed at the 21-year-old singer and television personality.
In the wake of the controversy, Thorne, who starred alongside Rourke in the 2020 thriller Girl, took to Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) to detail her own troubling experiences with the actor during filming.
“This f**king dude. GROSS,” Thorne wrote on Instagram. “I had to work with this man – in a scene where I’m on my knees with my hands zip-tied behind my back. He was supposed to take a metal grinder to my kneecap, and instead he used it on my genitals through my jeans. Hitting them over and over again.”
She added that the incident left her with “bruises on [her] pelvic bone” and described the experience as “one of the all-time worst” of her acting career.
Expanding on her claims in a thread on X, Thorne alleged further incidents of mistreatment on set. “So many gross stories of things he made me go through on that movie,” she wrote. “Including in his last scene — speeding up and revving his engine so he could cover me completely in dirt. I guess he thought it was funny to humiliate me in front of the entire crew.”
Thorne also claimed she was instructed to enter Rourke’s trailer alone to convince him to return to set, as he was refusing to speak with the director or producers and making “crazy demands.”
“Since the movie couldn’t be finished without him, everyone’s work would’ve been for nothing,” she explained. “I didn’t want to do it. I was uncomfortable. But I did what I was asked to do and what was best for the movie. Mickey should’ve never put anybody on that set in the positions that he did.”
Despite the negative experience, Thorne emphasized her pride in the work done by the rest of the cast and crew: “Also, side note: f**k Mickey — how he acted doesn’t negate the incredible hard work that everybody else put into that movie. Everyone worked HARD — literal blood, sweat, and tears — and I’m really proud of that.”
Rourke’s Response
In response to Thorne’s allegations, a representative for Rourke issued a statement to Variety, strongly denying any wrongdoing.
“These allegations are extremely serious,” the statement read. “Mr. Rourke adamantly denies any intentional misconduct. He was not made aware of any such concerns during filming and had no prior knowledge of Ms. Thorne’s discomfort until now.”
The rep added that Rourke will not be making further public comments “out of respect for all parties and given the gravity of the claims,” but stated that he is “willing to cooperate with any appropriate inquiry through the proper channels.”
“We affirm the right of every performer to feel safe and respected in their work environment,” the statement concluded.
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