Bloopers That Make Us Love Mark Ruffalo Even More
The Marvel Cinematic Universe was already packed with big-time movie stars — Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson — when it showed it really wanted to take things up a notch by hiring one of the best actors of his generation. Mark Ruffalo made his first appearance as Hulk (and Bruce Banner) in 2012's Marvel's The Avengers, bringing his theater- and serious-film-honed acting chops to the blockbuster franchise. Actively working since the late '80s but not breaking out until roughly a decade later, Ruffalo can seemingly do anything. He earned raves for his dramatic work in You Can Count On Me, Foxcatcher, and Spotlight, but he's also at home in quirky indies (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), thrillers (Shutter Island), and rom-coms (Just Like Heaven). A couple other things he can do well: goof up, and goof off. Here are some times when Ruffalo ruined takes... but no one got mad because they're all pretty funny.
Bruce Banner goes for a quick run
After a couple of false starts with Eric Bana (Hulk) and Edward Norton (The Incredible Hulk), Marvel finally found a credible Hulk in Mark Ruffalo. While he's yet to get a standalone movie, he's been a big part of the Avengers films and popped up in a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe entries. But Hulk is primarily the work of CGI, while Ruffalo does the heavy lifting as the Dr. Jekyll to Hulk's Mr. Hyde: gifted scientist Bruce Banner. Maybe it's because we, as the line from the old 1970s Incredible Hulk TV series goes, "wouldn't like him when he's angry." Or maybe it's because the Hulk and Bruce Banner are two incredibly different entities at the end of the day. Well, whatever the reason, probably just to have fun and crack up his co-stars, Ruffalo decided that Hulk wasn't going to stick around to Hulk-smash during a climactic moment in The Avengers. Instead, he does the not-so-heroic thing... and bolts.
He gives 'em the ol' mumbo-jumbo
Like the rest of his fellow Avengers — and the majority of the actors who've taken on major roles in the MCU — Mark Ruffalo has to cope with a certain amount of green screen acting, up to and including the hours he's spent on set playing the Hulk via a motion-capture rig that acts as the basis for the CGI-driven depiction of the big green guy that we see onscreen. Ruffalo has it a little easier than most, given that he doesn't often have to speak much while playing the Hulk, but that definitely isn't to say he hasn't faced some of his own dialogue challenges. These Avengers movies are, at their core, science-fiction movies, and he's playing the most prominent scientist around in them. That means it's up to Ruffalo to deliver lots of technical jargon and scientific word gumbo. Even an actor of Ruffalo's caliber has a tough time with it.
He gives 'em the ol' razzle-razzle
Despite his many onscreen appearances as a superhero, and starring in three movies about enjoyably ridiculous movies about magicians (Now You See Me, The Brothers Bloom, Now You See Me 2), Mark Ruffalo is widely regarded as a serious actor. That's probably because his powerful work in affecting, award-winning dramas like The Normal Heart and Spotlight overshadow the more frivolous (if financially successful) line items on his resume. He maintains a quiet dignity and self-respect through all his work, so when a script requires him to say something kind of stupid, it's a real treat — both to hear Ruffalo get silly, and to see how he pulls it off without looking bad. Well, he can't quite pull it off during a take on 13 Going on 30. He delivers two versions of the same, wacky-word-laced bit: "I could really use a razzle" and "I really need a razzle." The first elicits silence from co-star Jennifer Garner. The second elicits laughter... and a palpable sense of embarrassment from Ruffalo.
All heroes must fall
The Avengers movies offer an embarrassment of riches when it comes to action stars. So much of their huge casts consist of established veterans within the genre, bringing the physical skills necessary to bring their superhero characters to life. Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, and Chris Pratt, among others, have all jumped, kicked, and punched their way through other movies... but not so much Mark Ruffalo. Versed in theater, he's more of a "words" and "face" actor, which are vital when it comes to playing Bruce Banner, the human, pre-anger (and scientific) iteration of the monstrous Hulk. That said, he seemed to have a hard time with the minor physical demands of his role in Thor: Ragnarok. Adding to the film's already rich comic tapestry is Ruffalo, falling down once while talking with Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie) and again opposite Chris Hemsworth (Thor). For the former, maybe the wind machine blew him down, and for the latter, well, at least Thor is there to rescue him.
He sold his lines a little too well
Mark Ruffalo wasn't always an A-list superhero, and Reese Witherspoon wasn't always a frequently Oscar-nominated actress and behind-the-scenes boss of stuff like Big Little Lies. In 2005, Ruffalo and Witherspoon were both making a name for themselves with romantic comedies, particularly high-concept ones like Just Like Heaven. Witherspoon plays a doctor in a coma whose spirit leaves her body to go haunt her apartment, where an affable landscape architect (Ruffalo) has taken residence. Eventually, she gets better and they magically live happily ever after. It's an odd movie with a lot of rules and turns, which could be hard for even a professional, versatile actor like Ruffalo. In this unusable take, he comes on a little too strong with Witherspoon. As he gets a little too close, he delivers the punchline of his dialogue with bit too much volume and emotion... to the point where his co-star gasps. (But then they have a good laugh about it and reset.)
He's just happy to see you
As the Hulk, Mark Ruffalo fights for good and justice. And he gets cast in so many romantic comedies because he looks and seems like a decent guy — handsome, but not intimidatingly so. He's the "thinking person's sex symbol," if you will. But Mark Ruffalo is a human being, and humans are animals, and animals can be crude. In other words, even Ruffalo isn't above working "blue." It's also mildly inappropriate and not very professional to make a joke about getting a "rise" out of a guy, but he seemingly couldn't resist, delivering this improvised quip to his scantily clad scene partner in Just Like Heaven very sheepishly, as if he can't control what's coming out of his mouth. Before either he or Ivana Milicevic can deliver their scripted lines, Ruffalo's very-mid-2000s cell phone starts its high-pitched chirping from his pants pocket. "That's your phone ringing?" Milicevic asks. His reply: "No, I'm just happy to see you." Dude.