While Mark Ruffalo may be instantly recognizable for his marquee MCU gig as The Hulk, the actor has created an impressive filmography for himself by exploring various genres and taking on many challenging and memorable characters. More recently, his vile antagonist in Poor Things is being praised universally, earning him an Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category.
While the Spotlight star is a bonafide veteran in Hollywood, he also revealed recently in an interview about rejections that he faced for being a Marvel alum. The actor opened up on how a prolific and critically acclaimed director was hesitant to work with him owing to his deep-rooted association with Marvel.
Was Mark Ruffalo Rejected For Being A Marvel Alum?
Mark Ruffalo is currently riding high with the success of Poor Things while his fantastic performance as a ruthless villain is being applauded by audiences and critics. Over the years, the actor has earned the reputation of being a unique performer who has the ability to understand exactly what directors want from him. His skills were evident in the way he humanized MCU’s The Hulk and made the superhero more relatable to fans.
As much as his Marvel gig was a defining factor in Ruffalo’s career, it also seemed to be a deterrent for him to secure some prestigious projects. In an exclusive interview with GQ, the actor spoke extensively about Poor Things and also touched upon this so-called burden associated with the Marvel tag. The Oscar nominee revealed his disappointment on hearing that an unnamed actor cited director Paul Thomas Anderson’s name as someone who was reluctant to work with him for this reason.
“I was like, ‘Oh f**k. If there’s ONE person I wanna work with, it’s Paul Thomas Anderson. “Well, that SUCKS.”
While Ruffalo also addressed the fact that there was a certain stigma in the industry that superhero films did not constitute serious cinema, this may not necessarily apply to Paul Thomas Anderson if one looked deeper. The director who is famous for diverse gems from Boogie Nights to Phantom Thread, has worked previously with two prominent Marvel stars like Bradley Cooper in Licorice Pizza and Josh Brolin in Inherent Vice. Therefore, his reasons for not working with Mark Ruffalo may have nothing to do with the franchise.
Mark Ruffalo On Why The Hulk May Never Get A Standalone Movie
Mark Ruffalo’s relatable and down-to-earth interpretation of Bruce Banner aka The Hulk in the MCU has made him one of the most popular choices for the role among fans. Together with Robert Downey Jr. and the glittering Avengers cast, Ruffalo formed a memorable union that was one of the important reasons for the blockbuster success of the films.
With most of the Avengers cast getting standalone films to take their characters further, Marvel fans were also eager to see Ruffalo’s The Hulk get his moment in the sun with the popular World War Hulk comics as a fitting reference point. But the actor recently dashed all hopes when he revealed that this may not be a possibility. Speaking to GQ, the Marvel alum believed that the financial commitment required to create the CGI for the character in a standalone film was massive.
“I’d love to do a standalone Hulk, I just don’t think that’s ever going to happen. It’s very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly. I priced myself out!”
With Marvel going through a patchy phase currently, the absence of talismans like Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo is bound to put added pressure on the franchise to achieve box office success.
