Mickey Rourke wanted his Iron Man 2 role of Ivan Vanko to be complex.
The Oscar nominated actor was keen to add layers to the role of Vanko so the character didn't fall into the trap of being just another one dimensional bad guy.
Iron Man 2 has dominated the U.S. box office this weekend as Rourke stepped into his first big budget blockbuster role.
Speaking to the Chicago Sun Times the actor said: "I didn't want to do a one-dimensional bad guy like you'd see in a comic book.
"Get some schmuck to do that. Hollywood always does that, especially when it's a Russian bad guy. I wanted to add layers to it, represent where he's coming from, and have a sense of humour.
"I want to challenge myself and challenge the audience to say, 'I see something redeemable in him.' That makes it more interesting and not so silly."
And in a bid to get under the skin of his character the actor visited a Russian prison during his preparation for the movie.
"I saw a lot there at the prison - and I got a lot more. I talked to a guy at Russia, in my hotel, who had just gotten out two weeks earlier - we spent a couple of hours together, and in those two hours he took his clothes off and showed me all the crazy tattoos he had.
"He told me what the tattoos meant and talked about some of the businesses he was involved in over the years, some of the crimes he'd partaken in and what his ranking was in the prison. I found that interesting."
Iron Man 2 is out now.
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