Mark Ruffalo names his four favourite movies
Since finding his footing in the film industry in the early 2000s, Mark Ruffalo seems to have endeared himself to almost every genre of cinema-goer. He delivered one of the most beloved rom-com performances in recent memory, continually demonstrates his aptitude for drama, and secured widespread fame with the masses as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In his most recent endeavour, though, Ruffalo swapped superhero press cycles and green face paint for the off-kilter filmmaking and fantasy worlds of Yorgos Lanthimos. Starring alongside Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe in the Greek director’s latest offering, Poor Things, Ruffalo, once again, proves that his acting abilities extend far beyond family-friendly blockbusters.
Embodying Lanthimos’ peculiar dialogue with an unexpected ease, Ruffalo is a worthy match for Stone’s stellar performance. Following her lead, Ruffalo is at once chilling and comedic, as his character attempts to control Stone’s Bella Baxter amidst her newfound freedom. With far more to work with than the recycled and reused scripts of the superhero genre, Ruffalo comes into his own well and truly and delivers a consistently scene-stealing performance.
Perhaps Ruffalo’s mastery of the weirder side of filmmaking stems from his own tastes, which seem to veer further into surrealism and satire than his earlier filmography might suggest. Sharing his four favourite films with Letterboxd, Ruffalo revealed his penchant for one classic director in particular. Designating two of his choices to the works of influential Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini, he picked out La Dolce Vita from 1960 and 8½ from 1963.
An equally surprising pick, the actor named Toto le héros, a 1991 film directed by Jaco Van Dormael, before rounding out the list with one of Lanthimos’ previous works, The Favourite. Also fronted by Stone, this is perhaps Ruffalo’s most predictable selection amidst the hype for Poor Things.
Released in 2018, The Favourite saw Lanthimos take his filmmaking in a slightly more accessible direction while still maintaining the weird wit that marks him out as such a distinctive director. As a fan of The Favourite, it’s no surprise that Ruffalo jumped at the chance to work with both Stone and Lanthimos on Poor Things, which would see the director return to his more outlandish stylings.
A varied list with odes to a classic director and a modern master, Ruffalo’s selection is solid and, hopefully, hints at more of the weird and wonderful to come in his own filmography. Find the full list of Ruffalo’s favourite films below.
Mark Ruffalo’s favourite movies:
- La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960)
- 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
- Toto le héros (Jaco Van Formael, 1991)
- The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2018)
