“The willingness to appear weak to represent, in other words, a familiar variety of real, contemporary American man may be Mark Ruffalo’s great distinction as an actor.”
I don’t know if I think that “weak” is the right word, though. I’d say “human”, I’d say “flawed”.
I’ve been watching Ruffalo for a long time, in admiration. He plays his parts on the edge. He’s unpredictable, yet truthful. He’s funny, fearless, and uninterested in traditional stardom, as is obvious in the kinds of parts he gets, and how he plays them.
He was fantastic in You Can Count On Me, far better than Laura Linney, who got nominated. The only reason she got nominated (in my opinion) is because she was acting with HIM, and HE made her better than she normally is. He made her seem real.
After that, Ruffalo disappeared. No more movies came out with him in it. Where the hell did he go? He’s that rare thing: an actor who excites me.
Well, turns out he had a brain tumor. He almost died. He checked out of acting for a couple of years.
But now he’s back. He was hysterical in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (my favorite movie of this year): dancing on the bed in his underwear, with the scruffy hair and thick glasses. It made me happy to see him working again.
