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"Wild Samoan" Hopes Rourke Makes A-Team At Oscars

Posted: Feb 22nd 2009 By: CMBurnham

Should Mickey Rourke win the Oscar for best actor for the movie "The Wrestler" tonight, there will be some celebratory screaming coming from Florida on his behalf.

"This Sunday, I'll be in Sarasota with my family at a big event, watching the Academy Awards from a huge theater. My heart will be racing, my pulse will be flying, and I won't be able to breathe when they announce Best Actor," wrote Vale Anoai in a weekly column she does for 1wrestling.com.

"If I hear those words, 'And the Oscar goes to...Mickey Rourke,' I swear, I'll burst into tears and squeal so loudly that the screen will shatter."

Vale Anoai, 23, is the daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Afa "The Wild Samoan" Anoai. She was cast as a pharmacist in "The Wrestler" as part of a deal made by director Darren Aronofsky that brought Afa on board as a trainer and wrestling consultant for the movie.

Another part of the deal was that some of Afa's students from The Wild Samoan Training Center in Leesburg would be be cast in bit parts. The training center is run in conjunction with his non-profit organization that keeps children off the streets.

Afa said he asked for those things because his family and students are such important things in his life.

Of his job as Rourke's trainer, Afa said he was very honored. And so began what turned into more than just a glory job, but a true friendship.

Afa said Nicolas Cage was first cast in the lead role as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in the movie, but he left two days after training started.

Mickey Rourke was then given the role and, according to Afa, "worked very hard to learn how to do what we do."

Vale said that on the set, once Rourke caught on to what wrestling entailed and all the training it took, he not only developed respect for the art, but was good at it.

"Everything you see him (Rourke) doing in the movie is really him doing it, even the hardcore stuff," Vale said.

Since training together, Afa and Rourke have become friends and keep in touch daily, which explains why Afa, Vale and the rest of the family will be watching the awards with such personal anticipation tonight.

Afa Anoai, who is from the American Samoa in the South Pacific, became a household name to wrestling fans in the early 1980s as half of "The Wild Samoans," the three-time World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) tag-team champions.

In her column, Vale talked about watching the first wrestling scene being filmed. The scene is a WXW show, and she said she hid behind the concession stand so she wouldn't be seen on camera.

"Dad was always RIGHT there at ringside between takes, ready to assist or talk to Mickey in any way necessary," she wrote. "When you watch the movie, after he wins the match, you see him blow a kiss and smile in the direction of the concession stand.

"He was thanking Dad, who was sitting just off camera, proudly smiling back at him."

The feeling is mutual.

"I am very, very proud of him," Afa said of Rourke. "And it freaks me out and it's so touching, because he's this great actor and from day one, he's called me and talked to me like we've known each other for years.

"It was a big honor for me to train and work with Mickey. He is more than just a great actor."

Afa said he'll be rooting for Mickey tonight at the live telecast in Sarasota they've been invited to.

Vale said she has watched Rourke on different talk shows such as Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel and Larry King and has heard him mention her dad.

"I was like 'yeeaaay for Dad,' " Vale said.

In her column, Vale also detailed the first night Rourke put on his "Randy the Ram" tights. "He came out in those tights and I thought, heart swelling, 'My God, he really does look like a wrestler.' I was so proud of Dad's work.

"And now it's Mickey's turn," Vale said.