‘Red Rocket’: 1 Real-Life Simon Rex Comparison He Thinks Is ‘Beaten to Death’
You’ve heard of the Oscars, but have you heard of the Isaacs? The Isaac Awards, in honor of the great Oscar Isaac, are Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s unique spin on the Academy Awards. However, the Isaac Awards are different from the Oscars in that they celebrate the best movies of 2021 that deserve recognition but will not receive that recognition through Oscar nods. The 2022 Isaac Awards feature five categories: Best Performance, Best Scene-Stealer, Best Crowd-Pleasing Moment, Best Action Sequence, and Fan-Favorite Movie. Voting will be open via this form from March 7-20. Winners will be announced on March 24.
Sean Baker’s Red Rocket is one of 2021’s biggest surprises at the movies. Actor Simon Rex wasn’t always praised for his talents, but he’s finally getting credit for his work. However, many interviewers asked the star about his previous experiences in the porn industry in relation to the film and Rex isn’t having it.
Simon Rex plays washed-up porn star Mikey Saber in ‘Red Rocket’
Red Rocket entirely takes place in a small, rural Texas town. Mikey (Rex) returns to his hometown after pursuing his dreams in the porn industry. He returns beaten with no money to stay with his estranged wife, Lexi (Bree Elrod), and her mother, Lil (Brenda Deiss). However, his whole world gets turned upside down when he meets a 17-year-old donut shop worker named Strawberry (Suzanna Son).
Rex previously appeared in solo porn scenes as a young adult for the money. However, his career truly started with mainstream modeling gigs and working for MTV. The press covering Red Rocket continues to curiously ask about that time in his life, but it happened a long time ago for the now 47-year-old actor.
Simon Rex thinks this real-life comparison interview question is ‘beaten to death’
Uproxx interviewed Rex about his exceptional performance in Red Rocket. The interviewer brought up the actor’s past briefly working in the porn industry. He specifically asked about Rex’s “run-in” with that world. However, Rex didn’t have any interest in talking about that.
“I’d rather not because I’m so bored with that,” Rex said. “I mean, quite frankly it was something that … I was 18 years old and right out of high school and … basically I’ve told the story a million times. I’d rather just talk about this movie as that was 30 years ago.”
Rex continued: ‘I mean, we could talk about Exxon Valdez too, or we could talk about the Iran-Contra thing, but I don’t want to go backwards. I want to look forwards, which is a lot more interesting, or just talk about this movie.”
However, Rex understands why he’s asked the Red Rocket interview question, even though he’s tired of it.
“But I understand bringing that up,” Rex said. “It’s just kind of been beaten to death. I understand the comparison, obviously. But truly, this guy, Mikey Saber, he could be in any field. He’s just a maniac, an a**hole. I see a lot of these people in Hollywood as actors. They’re everywhere, I’m sure they’re in your field.”
Rex continued: “Everyone knows this guy. So it’s really about the personality type. Whatever, how you would diagnose it, a sociopathic, narcissistic, delusional, a**hole, whatever he is. So that’s what I think connects with people.”
‘Red Rocket’ has a real-life underdog story
Most moviegoers recognize Rex for his work in the Scary Movie franchise. His performance as George in Scary Movie 3 remains highly quotable for fans of the movie. Rex returned in Scary Movie 4 and then played Dan in Scary Movie V. While these movies have their fans, they aren’t necessarily respected pieces of filmmaking.
Baker perfectly cast Rex as Mikey in Red Rocket. He fits the role perfectly and is now getting recognition for the independent movie, including some nominations and wins during the awards season. Red Rocket has a truly meaningful real-life story attached to its production involving Rex’s journey.
Vote for the 2022 Isaac Awards here now through Sunday, March 20. Winners will be announced on March 24.
