Mickey Rourke Has 'No Respect' For Tom Cruise's Work, Calls Him 'Irrelevant' [Watch]

Mickey Rourke did not mince his words when asked to comment on Tom Cruise's reprisal of Lt. Pete Mitchell's role in "Top Gun: Maverick".

Rourke wasn't impressed with Cruise's portrayal of the character, not in the least, and he made it known in an unbridled manner while appearing on "Piers Morgan Uncensored" Monday night. Cruise's performance was critically acclaimed in the movie which grossed $1 billion, but Rourke remained underwhelmed.

"That doesn’t mean s--t to me," Rourke said. "The guy’s been doing the same effing part for 35 years. I’ve got no respect for that." He continued, "I don't care about money and power. I care when I watch Al Pacino's work and Chris Walken and De Niro's early work and Richard Harris's work and Ray Winstone's work.

"That's the kind of actor I want to be like. Monty Clift and Brando back in the day," the 69-year-old added. Morgan then asked the Oscar-nominated actor if he thought Tom Cruise was a "good actor." Rourke said, "I think he's irrelevant, in my world."

Morgan took a few seconds to process the self-explanatory reply after which he blurted out "fascinating".

Cruise's fans criticized Rourke for his comments. "Tom Cruise is the greatest movie star in history. Mickey Rourke is a once great actor who now comes across as bitter," a Twitter user wrote.

"Mickey Rourke would know what irrelevant is," another tweeted. "Mickey Rourke is irrelevant as hell Has-been," read another mocking tweet.

Some others supported Rourke's right to have an opinion. "Mickey Rourke gets to have whatever f--kin opinion he wants Mickey is a god damn (goat) and I won’t take any slander. I love Tom, but Mickey isn’t exactly wrong here," wrote a fan.

"Mickey Rourke is allowed to say dumb shit about other actors. If you were the best once, you get to talk trash from the sidelines for the rest of your life," read another tweet. "Folks really pressed that Mickey Rourke told the truth about Tom Cruise," another wrote.

In the past, Rourke has feuded with "Irishman" actor Robert De Niro. Rourke shared a threatening Instagram post after he learned from a "friend" that De Niro had been calling him a "liar" in the press. "When i see you i swear to God on my Grandmother, on my brother and all my dogs, i gonna embarrass you severely 100%," Rourke wrote in the caption.