London, Jan 10 : Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke hated his character in `The Wrestler' because it reminded him of his traumatic past.

The 52-year-old star had a traumatic childhood and battled drug addiction for many years. He also underwent a therapy.

Rourke revealed that he hated his character in The Wrestler when he first read the script, but was adamant to play it to address his real life traumas.

"When I first read the script, I hated the character. I hated his guts, and I hated the side of him that was such a loser, the fact that he couldn't be accountable, or couldn't take care of his responsibilities. That's how I was for many years before I went to therapy," the Daily Express quoted him as saying.

"I misbehaved worse than anybody for over 15 years, and you have to pay the price for that. I used to blame other people, until I went to therapy and realised I had to change. I'd become very hard.

"I came from a very violent background, I was very arrogant and proud, and when I went to therapy I realised that all of those things were just masking the issues I had in childhood, of abandonment and shame," he added. (ANI)