Hi all, I’ll be answering your questions about the first episode of #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue right after the premiere on Sunday at 10 PM ET. Tweet your questions for me using #AskMarkRuffalo!
Q: #AskMarkRuffalo how did you approach playing a character with a very stigmatized mental illness? what went into making sure you you were being true and respectful to the schizophrenic community?
- @marlcruffalo
A: Great question! Here’s part 1 ⬇️ #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
- @marlcruffalo
A: Great question! Here’s part 1 ⬇️ #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
It was such an honor and pleasure to work with likes of, Melissa Leo, Rosie O’Donnell, Kathryn Hahn, Imogen Poots, Archie Panjabi, and Juliette Lewis. I learned how to act by two very great women actors, Joanne Linville and Stella Adler. #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
I admire them so much. They are all great talents & great collaborators. They all came with great ideas, no ego & it is not an irony that they happen to teach Dominick how to be a whole human being & fully-integrated and balanced man. They’re the greatest actors working today.
Q: #AskMarkRuffalo how did you approach playing a character with a very stigmatized mental illness? what went into making sure you you were being true and respectful to the schizophrenic community?
- @marlcruffalo
A: Part 2 😊 #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
- @marlcruffalo
A: Part 2 😊 #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
Q: #AskMarkRuffalo how did you approach playing a character with a very stigmatized mental illness? what went into making sure you you were being true and respectful to the schizophrenic community?
- @marlcruffalo
A: Aaaand part 3! #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
- @marlcruffalo
A: Aaaand part 3! #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
Well, it was a long shoot. That in itself was challenging. We worked 12-16 hours a day & there was a lot to memorize. Playing 2 characters in the same scene months apart from doing each performance was also difficult. Being away from my family so much was also tough. 1/2
2/2 But the rewards of getting through a day knowing you found some good, watchable stuff, being with the other cast members who are all the really fine, seasoned, and gifted actors, and crew. All these things were a beautiful reward all along the way. #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
I had one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had working with Derek. He is one of the greatest directors, with a fine sense of emotional honesty, and a deep and unique understanding filmmaking. We spent years collaborating on the material so we got to know eachother very well.
Q: Just wanted to say thank you for doing movie such this. I am mentally ill and have a twin sister who is helping me to go through it and fight it. So this movie has a very special place in our hearts. Thank you for making us feel like we're no… #AskMarkRuffalo
- @lucy_kap
A:
- @lucy_kap
A:
It’s hard to pick a favorite scene in a project that is 6+ hrs long. I had such a good time making it and enjoyed the people I made it with, old and new friends alike. There are scenes that move me personally and are intimate to me regarding the relationship between brothers. 1/2
2/2 Those scenes between Thomas and Dominick are loadad and layered. There is duty, there is obligation, and there is love. There is resentment and appreciation, repulsion and attraction. There is so much paradox, 2 sides to everything. 2 polar extremes, yet...of the same coin.
For Dominick, I had to learn how to paint a house. I spend a lot of time day-and-night-dreaming around and about a character, I will start to get a sense of them after a little while, how they look and sound and move, what their world-views are and how they feel about themselves.
I‘ve done a lot in my career with duality & doublings. I don’t know why, but it comes up alot. It was great to play twins because they’re some of the only people in the world that aren’t alone. They share more than anyone could with another person...1/2
2/2 While at the same time they are different. In the end Dominick and Thomas find some kind of unity. There is a wholeness that is stumbled upon. It’s in finding this wholeness that we can heal the past and move forward in a good way. #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
Q: was it a challenge to match your energy in the same scene after months apart #AskMarkRuffalo
- @wdwruffalo
A: #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
- @wdwruffalo
A: #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
Um, I’m not sure. I mean, I guess it depends on the material, who they are and what story they are living in. I never really know where this is all going to take me. I honestly can’t seem to make any planning for it work out. 1/2
2/2 As an actor you get used to uncertainty. You get used to making it up as you go along and you get used to trusting that if you throw yourself into the void in a good way and you really trust, the universe will catch you, if you are lucky. lol
#IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
#IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
Q: #AskMarkRuffalo How do you separate yourself mentally after playing such intense characters ? What measures you take ?
- @RoY_al_Rage
A: #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
- @RoY_al_Rage
A: #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue
I like them both even though they are wildly different. For me getting to do these grand collaborations as an actor and a producer has been the most satisfying part of all this. It lasts longer and there are so many other places to be creative along the way. 1/2
2/2 Developing the script, hiring principals, casting, on-set experience, acting, cutting + post-production, as a producer you are involved all the way through and watch great and gifted people be great and gifted. It’s a wonderful and challenging experience. I like both things.
That’s all for tonight! Thanks for hanging out with me, for watching #IKnowThisMuchIsTrue, and for all the great questions. I appreciate each and every one of them 🙏🏼 #AskMarkRuffalo 
