Mark Ruffalo talks about the paralysis he suffered after surgery for a brain tumor
The actor confessed that he suffered from paralysis on the left side of his face for a whole year. Fortunately, it eventually cleared up.
Mark Ruffalo is back in the news. Not only because he is among the nominees for the Best Supporting Actor in this year’s Oscar Awards for his role in Poor Creatures, but also for his participation in the SmartLess comedy podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, in which he addressed a number of different topics.
I have the unbelievable privilege of making movies as a job. To be recognized by The Academy among the best is an honor that exceeds all ones expectations as an actor. Thank you to our brilliant filmmaker, Yorgos. And thank you to the audiences who gave this film a chance.… pic.twitter.com/UabEZ8s270
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) January 24, 2024
Life is sweet for the 56-year-old, things are going well both personally and professionally but the charismatic actor recalled a time when his world turned upside down. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor, shortly after his wife Sunrise Coigney gave birth to their first child, in 2001.
Health issues
It’s a moment in his life that he had never talked about before. It all started when he discovered, “A mass behind his left ear, the size of a golf ball”. Before knowing what it was, he confessed to having suffered an ear infection, but this ended up being a tumor, which luckily “was benign.” However, they had to operate to remove it.
The actor did not want to worry his wife too much, which is why he decided to tell her all after she gave birth. “When I told Sunny, at first she thought I was joking. And then she burst into tears and said, ‘I always knew you were going to die young,’” he added.
After being diagnosed and talking things though with the neurologist to plan the operation, Ruffalo was warned that there was a 20% chance of damaging the nerve on the left side of his face, and a 70% chance that he might also lose hearing in his left ear.
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A understandably worrying situation which was further exasperated when he woke up post-surgery and felt “the left side” of his face “totally paralyzed”. He explained: “I couldn’t even close my eye. I was talking out of the corner of my mouth.”
The paralysis lasted a year, and then disappeared, luckily for him. Fortunately, Ruffalo has been able to continue dedicating himself to the seventh art, where he has become one of the most important figures in all of Hollywood.