The One Tragedy That Changed Mark Ruffalo Forever

Mark Ruffalo is one of those celebrities who are impossible to hate. Not only is he an incredibly stellar actor, but he's also a genuinely good guy all around. He supports various charities and causes, he often engages with his fans, and he even picks up hitchhikers on the road. He's also a good friend to his colleagues, as evidenced by his long-standing bromance with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans and his playful trolling of Paul Rudd during a red carpet interview.

Of course, Ruffalo's body of work is equally admirable. His ticket to superstardom was his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Incredible Hulk, aka Bruce Banner. He's also received critical and commercial acclaim for his roles in "The Kids Are All Right," "Foxcatcher," and "Spotlight."

But before Ruffalo became one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, he encountered and conquered some major roadblocks, including a significant health scare.

Mark Ruffalo shot straight to the top of the Hollywood food chain after starring in the MCU, but he was already working as an actor long before everyone knew him as an Avenger. He had minor roles in films like "The Dentist" and Ang Lee's "Ride with the Devil," and he was part of the Academy Award-nominated film "You Can Count On Me."

His first big break came with nabbing the role in "The Last Castle," but it was also the time where his world turned upside down. At the time, he found out that he had a brain tumor. After wrapping up the film, industry VIPs like Jeffrey Katzenberg reached out to him. "There I was on the phone with him and I can't move the left side of my face because it's paralyzed. And no one knows," Ruffalo told New York Magazine in 2003 of the interaction.

Ruffalo had a condition called an acoustic neuroma, a tumor situated behind his ear. According to the magazine, it compromised his profession as an actor, as it put his facial and auditory nerves at risk. The tumor was benign, but removing it involved a 10-hour operation.

After Mark Ruffalo's brush with death, he viewed his profession in an entirely new light. He realized that it's something he's truly passionate about and that he should be more conscious of his choices when it comes to his career. The experience also taught him how to be more grateful.

"The whole experience of getting close to mortality changed my perspective on work. I wasn't enjoying acting before: I felt like I wasn't in charge of my career. I wasn't doing things that made me feel good," he revealed in a 2005 interview with The Guardian. "I was really bitter, I thought I deserved more, and I wasn't grateful for all the great sh** that had happened to me... After the brain tumor happened, I realized I love acting, I've always loved it, I may never get a chance to do it again."

And while some people may view having a brain tumor as a debacle, Ruffalo thought it was a blessing. "In retrospect, now it was probably one of the greatest blessings that I've had," he told UPI in 2004. "It really gave me an in-depth understanding of myself and my strengths and my weaknesses... It gave me a year to kind of stand back and really think about what I wanted for my career and my life because things were getting really out of control at that point."

Mark Ruffalo wasn't completely surprised when he found out he had a brain tumor. He told New York Magazine in 2003 that he had a dream about having a tumor, was alarmed enough to consult doctors, and was then told that he was right. The doctors told him they could operate, but there was a 30% chance that he'd experience partial facial paralysis.

"I woke up one morning with the knowledge that I had a brain tumor. It wasn't so much that I dreamt I had a brain tumor; it was like someone just poured the knowledge into my head," he said. "It wasn't like an image; it was just like knowing. It was so weird, which is why I paid attention."

It didn't help that Ruffalo had a newborn at home and was scared of the thought of his son growing up without a dad. He also said that after the surgery, he experienced cognitive dysfunction and lost his confidence. "You know what the biggest thing was? I lost all my confidence," the actor said to New York Magazine. "Just across the board. I completely lost my gut."

It took another year for him to make a full recovery, and eventually, it was acting that got him back to his feet. "I finally felt like, I'm okay, I'm back. And it was acting that brought me back," the actor said to the outlet.