Mark Ruffalo Doubted Himself So Much For Poor Things That He Suggested Another Actor
Mark Ruffalo gives what might just be the greatest performance of his career in "Poor Things." Yorgo Lanthimos' dark Victorian-era sci-fi comedy casts the notoriously loose-lipped Oscar nominee as the lawyer Duncan Wedderburn, an-out-and-proud cad who falls hard for Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), oblivious to the twisted truth behind the mysterious woman's eccentric nature. However, as Bella's mind rapidly evolves and she begins to lose interest in Duncan, his debonair facade swiftly melts away, revealing that he's really nothing more than an insecure, entitled clown who would sooner pull his hair out and pettily sabotage Bella's attempts to lead a happy life of her choosing than allow her to end their relationship.
/FIlm's Jeremy Mathai rightly declared Duncan the best movie villain of 2023, praising both "Ruffalo's utter commitment to the bit and writer Tony McNamara's razor-sharp wit." It helps that Ruffalo tends to play good-natured and noble characters like the passionate journalist Michael Rezendes from "Spotlight" or the huggable teddy bear that is his version of Bruce Banner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which makes his turn as the pathetic, egocentric Duncan a wickedly fun change of pace. On the flip side, this also contributed to his uncertainties about tackling the role in the first place.
"I thought it was pretty amazing," he told Variety. "But I doubted my ability to do it, to be honest with you. I was scared of it." He even went so far as to try and talk Lanthimos out of casting him. "I might have said Joaquin [Phoenix] because I think that he can do anything," Ruffalo admitted, having seen what the Oscar-winner is capable of when they worked together on the 2007 crime drama "Reservation Road." Phoenix, as it were, was off playing another horny man-child in Ridley Scott's "Napoleon" in 2023.
That time Oscar Isaac 'replaced' Ruffalo
Who doesn't enjoy having a bit of fun at their co-worker's expense every now and then? Apparently, Ruffalo's doubts about his casting became a running joke among his "Poor Things" co-stars. "They were teasing me that Oscar Isaac was going to take the role from me when we were in rehearsal," he explained, what with the "Ex Machina" and "Dune" star working in a nearby studio while filming was underway. Willem Dafoe, who plays Dr. Godwin Baxter (the bizarre scientist who "creates" Bella in the film), even went so far as to prank Ruffalo by bringing Isaac over to the "Poor Things" set one day.
"Willem brought him over at lunchtime and Oscar came up to me and he's like, 'Hey man, I'm sorry, but it's just not going to work out,'" Ruffalo recalled. The poor guy didn't immediately realize it was all a big joke, either, having had a similar experience on his first major theater production. "I literally got fired a week before opening. It was my big break, and I was literally so traumatized. So anytime I hit a bump, I'm like, 'That's it, they're firing me,'" Ruffalo confessed. Dafoe, you scoundrel!
On the contrary, Ruffalo's self-doubt is proof positive that he was always the perfect choice to play Duncan. The character's devil-may-care attitude and playboy swagger should feel like it's an act that could crumble the moment he doesn't get his way. Only someone with Ruffalo's apparent lack of ego and willingness to make himself look like an utter buffoon could play the role as convincingly as he does. If there's any justice, "Poor Things" will ultimately net the actor his fourth Oscar nod (and perhaps his first win).
"Poor Things" is currently playing in theaters.