Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo recently opened up about a personal health struggle that he faced over 20 years ago. The Avengers star revealed that he was diagnosed with a benign vestibular schwannoma in 2001, after he had a dream that he had a brain tumour. At the time of his diagnosis, Ruffalo’s wife was nine months pregnant with their first child, and the actor made the difficult decision to conceal the news from her until after the baby was born.
In a recent podcast, Ruffalo shared the emotional response of his wife, Sunrise Coigney, when he finally told her about his condition. “When I told Sunny (Sunrise) about it, at first she thought I was joking, and then she just burst into tears and said, ‘I always knew you were gonna die young,'” Ruffalo recounted. The actor also revealed that he had to meet with a neurologist a week after their baby was born to make decisions about his treatment, as he had no symptoms except for an ear infection before the tumour was diagnosed.
Ruffalo underwent surgery to remove the tumour, which led to his recovery and successful career in Hollywood, including his iconic role as the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the actor recently admitted that he initially felt unsuitable for his role in the MCU. He, along with co-star Robert Downey Jr, shed light on the challenges they faced understanding the difficult dialogues of their Marvel characters and sci-fi scenes in the movie. Ruffalo pointed out that portraying the character in MCU films felt like living in a different world that was “unsuitable” for him initially.
The news of Ruffalo’s health struggle and his candid admission about his initial apprehensions bring to light the personal challenges that celebrities often grapple with behind the scenes. It serves as a reminder that even those in the spotlight are not immune to the trials and tribulations of life.