Rourke to play gay rugby player in a biopic

TORONTO - Actor Mickey Rourke has confirmed that he will be playing the lead role in a movie about gay rugby player Gareth Thomas.

I read the story, its one of the toughest, hardest sports… and to be a man that plays rugby that is gay, to live with that secret for the amount of years Gareth had, to perform at the high level he performed at, it takes a lot of courage, torontosun.com quoted Rourke as saying.

The 58-year-old star admits he has already started training to master Thomas Welsh accent.

Thomas hit headlines last year when he became the first rugby player to come out as a gay man.