The 2010 role that saved Mark Ruffalo from quitting acting: “I kind of saw again what I loved about it”
There are some performances that immediately announce an actor as being a star, and Mark Ruffalo pulled one off in 2000 when he had his breakthrough in the Kenneth Lonergan dramedy You Can Count On Me. His sly, sensitive performance as the younger brother of Laura Linney’s character suggested that he had the makings to be one of the biggest stars of his generation.
Ruffalo did impressive work in the next few years, taking small roles in hits like Collateral and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and even managed to survive being in In the Cut, the reviled crime thriller from Jane Campion that ruined Meg Ryan’s career.
However, Ruffalo faced personal issues that made him less interested in professional prospects – he was diagnosed with a vestibular schwannoma brain tumour in 2001, which resulted in partial facial paralysis and the loss of hearing in one ear, and in 2008, his brother was killed in a case that has yet to be solved.
While Ruffalo had managed to keep these stories out of the press, he had quietly been considering retiring from the business altogether… However, an opportunity to star in the dramedy The Kids Are All Right was enough to convince him to keep acting.
“That’s when I sort of came into balance and realised I am an actor,” Ruffalo said. “Maybe I can do it in a way that’s right for me, and I’m not chasing it, and I don’t have financial burdens pushing me toward it, and I kind of saw again what I loved about it.”
The Kids Are All Right is about two siblings, played by Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson, who seek out the man who served as the sperm donor to their parents, played by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. Although Ruffalo’s character is initially introduced as being a care-free slacker, he steadily becomes more interested in being part of his kids’ lives. The performance and film were acclaimed; The Kids Are All Right was nominated for ‘Best Picture’, and Ruffalo received his first Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’.
2010 was a major year for Ruffalo because he also co-starred in Shutter Island, a psychological horror film from Martin Scorsese – it was the same year that it was announced that he would be taking over the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers, as Edward Norton had dropped out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after creative differences on the production of The Incredible Hulk.
The Kids Are All Right wouldn’t be the last Ruffalo performance to earn the attention of the Academy Awards, as he received further ‘Best Supporting Actor’ nominations for Foxcatcher, Spotlight, and Poor Things… Although he continues to be a valuable actor who has headlined successful films and HBO shows, Ruffalo has not backed down from his strong political beliefs and has taken every opportunity he’s received to advocate for issues that he feels passionate about.
While Zodiac or I Know This Much Is True might be the leading choices for what Ruffalo’s “best” performance is, The Kids Are All Right is certainly among the most important. He had previously been seen as a charming lead in romantic comedies, but the 2010 dramedy proved that he hadn’t lost the dramatic spark that had made You Can Count On Me so important.
