Six Degrees of Mickey Rourke: A Doorman Case Study

[Doormen Maurizio Ferrigno, Armin Amiri, and Wass Stevens all star in The Wrestler]

We can't help but find Mickey Rourke lovable.  Maybe its because he was such a misfit in the past, or because he still loves to rip it up on the town at 1 Oak and Cipriani Sundays, or perhaps it's that he has risen from the ashes like a Phoenix.  Or maybe it's because he hooked up his nightlife friends (and NYC resident doormen) with parts in The Wrestler.  This isn't to say these guys wouldn't have made it on their talent, but it sure doesn't hurt to get a good referral from Mickey (and he has certainly logged in his time with these guys over the years!)

A quick recap on the doormen, the clubs they work at, and the parts they played:

Wass Stevens

Club: Marquee

Part: "Nick Volpe" - Wass Stevens is the manager who gives instructions to the wrestlers/does the cattle call in the first match we see in the movie. [IMDB]

Background: Definitely the highest profile actor of the bunch, Wass recently was the main character in the national Sprint/Nextel commercials where he calls out "Callahan?" multiple times (hard to miss this one).  He also plays Nicholas Cage's brother in Twin Towers, and is no stranger to fight managers, being an amateur boxer in his former life.

Maurizio Ferrigno

Club: Upstairs @ Cipriani Downtown

Part: "Spotter" -  Spots Mickey in the weight room [IMDB]

Background: Maurizio is no doubt the biggest physical specimen of the group.  Hailing from Italy, he plays the henchman role quite well, recently being featured as part of a lineup in the Law & Order commercials this past fall of 2008.  And he is of course no stranger to "spotting" being quite the bodybuilder.

Armin Amiri

Club: Former doorman at Bungalow 8 and now-defunct Socialista

Part: "Dr. Moayedizadeh" - Armin is the Dr. who brings Mickey the bad news that his heart can't handle the wrestling anymore.  We don't think that Armin has much of a medical or academic background, so this probably speaks volumes about his acting abilities.  Speaking of bad news, his father apparently was arrested and held in Iran for a short while because of suspicion of helping Armin flee the country 20 years ago... [IMDB]

Background: Armin use to be Amy Sacco's party whip at Bungalow 8, who along with Disco made sure that the "no camera" policy was enforced and that a bevy of celebs and the "right" clientele filled the uber-chic boîte.  He left Bungalow in 2007 to  push his neo-socialism agenda and start his very own place, the late Socialista.  Alas, socialism proved (once again) to be unsustainable; we will be on the look out for his next "aha!" moment.

[Mickey Rourke with Sofia Vassalo post Oscar weekend]