The Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke has reportedly undergone surgery and lost more than two stone in his ongoing effort to portray gay Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas in a forthcoming biopic.

Rourke, 59, has hired a top personal trainer to get him into shape to play Thomas, 37, and has already had work done on his eyes, says the Daily Mail's Baz Bamingboye. Producer Colin Vaines said the 22-year age gap between the two men was not relevant. "When Mickey's committed, as he is with this, he can do anything. The age isn't a problem," he said.

Apparently Rourke is intrigued by the prospect of exploring the psychology which allowed Thomas to hide his sexuality. "It's a film about a man who played rugby, who was so aggressive when he played – and he happened to be gay," the actor is quoted as saying. "It took a lot of courage to be in his world and do that."

"I'm thinking of Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull meeting Lindsay Anderson's This Sporting Life, where sport was used as a backdrop to explore an inner torment," Vaines told the Press Association. "Gareth said to Mickey that he always had to be more macho on the field, because he was carrying a secret." He said the as-yet untitled film was due to shoot in September with Antony Hoffman directing.

Rourke is said to be working with Nick McKinless, who got Ralph Fiennes into shape for his role in Coriolanus and is himself a former rugby player. Thomas, currently appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, was the world's only openly gay current professional player in a team sport when he came out in 2009. He was voted the most influential gay person in the UK and received Stonewall's hero of the year award in 2010.