Twins in turmoil
Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo plays twins in a family saga about betrayal and forgiveness…
Famous for starring as Bruce Banner, who turns into Hulk in the Avengers movies, Mark Ruffalo is used to transforming himself on screen.
But for new six-part drama I Know This Much Is True, the star changes his appearance in a very different way as he plays twin brothers – divorced construction worker Dominick Birdsey and his sibling Thomas, who’s schizophrenic. He even put on 30lb to portray Thomas!
‘Dominick and Thomas are twins, but they’re two totally different people,’ explains Mark, who’s also starred in films such as Foxcatcher and Zodiac.
‘Dominick has this moral code that’s really beautiful and heroic, while Thomas is living with schizophrenia and he’s constantly bombarded by negative voices.’
When the twins’ dying mother, Concettina (Melissa Leo), becomes seriously ill, Thomas’ mental illness spirals dangerously out of control and he’s placed in a mental-health facility, looked after by social worker Lisa (Rosie O’Donnell) and psychologist Dr Patel (Archie Panjabi).
But as Dominick struggles to care for his brother, he also uncovers some difficult family truths rooted in the siblings’ troubled childhood and their relationship with their father, Ray.
Family trauma
‘Thomas experienced violent trauma as a boy,’ says Mark. ‘He was sensitive, but he grew up in this very macho world and he turned inside himself and got lost in his schizophrenia.
The drama is about love, commitment and the difficulty of family.’
Playing twins wasn’t easy for Mark, especially the rapid weight gain, which involved eating vast quantities of pasta and potatoes! ‘We didn’t want this to be another twin show where it looks like the actor runs off and puts on a wig or a beard,’ says Mark.
‘Being on medication, Thomas would be bloated. I put on 30lb in six weeks and we shot most of the Thomas footage after we’d shot Dominick’s scenes!’