Mark Ruffalo opens up about brother's murder
MARK Ruffalo has talked about his brother's murder and how he inspired his Oscar-nominated turn in The Kids Are All Right.
MARK Ruffalo has talked about his brother's murder and how he inspired his Oscar-nominated turn in The Kids Are All Right.
Ruffalo told the June issue of Men's Journal that he would not be as successful if it wasn't for his younger brother, Scott, who was killed in his Beverly Hills home on December 1, 2008.
"I was the actor pushing 30 and still doing 30-seat theatres," he said of his start in LA, "and he was the mayor of Beverly Hills. For years, people would meet me and go, 'You're Scotty Ruffalo's brother? I love your brother."
Scott Ruffalo's murder has never been solved. He was found with a gunshot wound to his head and a gun in his left hand.
Shaha Mishaal Adham and her boyfriend, Brian Scofield, were quickly identified as persons of interest in the case. However, Adham has since died of a drug overdose and the Scott Ruffalo murder case remains open.
Mark Ruffalo says when he first read the script for the movie The Kids Are All Right he says he instantly recognised his character, the free-spirited Paul, as being very much like his brother.
"His charm, his spirit, his sense of humour, his daring. How great he was with women. How he sort of devoured life," he said. "I'm only capturing a tiny glimpse of him. But I think it ended up honouring him in a really nice way. He was a beautiful guy."
Ruffalo went on to get an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the role and says he has a new outlook on life since his brother's death.
"You never get over it; you just get used to it," he said, referring to his brother's death. "You get calloused, a little bit harder maybe, so be on guard for that. But take these tragic things and turn them into something meaningful and worthy of the loss. Make it count."