While Mark Ruffalo is widely known for portraying the role of Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk, in the MCU, his recent appearance as Duncan Wedderburn in Poor Things showcases his commitment to exploring new horizons as an actor. The actor took on the challenging and taxing role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark fantasy comedy-drama, starring alongside Emma Stone, who plays Bella Baxter.
The movie features Ruffalo as a slick and debauched lawyer who gets deeply involved in Bella’s quest for self-discovery. However, the Marvel star has shared that he was reluctant to take the role of Duncan Wedderburn as he was concerned that it might influence the public perception of him.
Mark Ruffalo Was Hesitant in Accepting His Role in Poor Things
Based on Alasdair Gray’s novel of the same name, Poor Things follows Bella Baxter, a young Victorian woman who runs off with a debauched lawyer to embark on an odyssey of self-discovery after being resurrected by a scientist following her suicide.
Mark Ruffalo has shared that he was reluctant to take the role of Duncan Wedderburn in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ Poor Things. And during his recent appearance on the Los Angeles Times Actors’ Roundtable, he shared several reasons for his hesitancy, one of them being how the character may influence his public image.
“I had some reluctance in taking this part. Part of it was that I had never really done anything like this before. And part of it was feeling like I wasn’t able to do it and then part of it was like what’s the world going to think about me playing this total narcissistic selfish, misogynistic lout who’s basically preying on this young woman.”
While the actor shared that he enjoyed working on the movie and playing a character with such complexities, he also said that Duncan Wedderburn had traits that can get an individual “canceled” in real life. However, he still took on the role stating that he wanted to challenge the artist inside him.
Mark Ruffalo Took Duncan Wedderburn’s Role as a Challenge
Further talking about his role in Poor Things, Mark Ruffalo shared that it’s kind of an oppressive time for an artist, where “everything’s under this scrutiny” with millions of eyes dissecting not only an artist’s appearance but also every single action they take.
However, he still took on Duncan Wedderburn’s role, as he wanted to challenge himself. “Then I said, Come on man, you know, if you’re an artist, then you got to run towards the danger, and you got to run towards what scares you,'” he recalled, stating that these are the things that help an artist grow.
In an earlier interview with The AV Club, he shared that he wanted to break free of the perception people had about him. He also shared that he wanted to break out of the image of being a “nice guy or being The Hulk or being Banner” and try something challenging and daring.
Poor Things is playing in theatres.
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