Mark Ruffalo talks about playg gay “The Normal Heart” and his support of LGBT equaly

Contents:

• MARK RUFFALO WAS SCHOOLED BY ‘NORMAL HEART’S’ PNEERG GAY PLAYWRIGHT
• MARK RUFFALO REVEALS HIS INIAL CONCERNS OVER TAKG ON A GAY ROLE ‘THE NORMAL HEART’
• MARK RUFFALO JT LEARNED ABOUT HIS GAY RELATNSHIP WH ROBERT DOWNEY {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}CELEBRIBY CHRIS SPARGOAPRIL 17, 2013/5:03 PMBY CHRIS SPARGOAPRIL 17, 2013 / 5:03 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"MARK RUFFALO JT LEARNED ABOUT HIS GAY RELATNSHIP WH ROBERT DOWNEY JR.","DATEPUBLISHED":"2013-04-17T21:03:28.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2013-04-17T21:03:28.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"CHRIS SPARGO","ARTICLESECTN":"CELEBRI"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}[PTN ID="ATTACHMENT_97053" ALIGN="ALIGNCENTER" WIDTH="500"] LOVE IS A BETIFUL THG.[/PTN]{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MARK RUFFALO IS NOT A HUGE FAN OF THE INTER SEEMS, AND HAS NEVER REALLY GOOGLED HIMSELF, SO ONE REPORTER OM VULTURE TOOK THE CHANCE TO TRODUCE MR. RUFFALO TO "SCIENCE BROS" WHEN HE PICKED UP AN ACTIVISM AWARD AT THE ANNUAL RIVERKEEPER'S FISHERMEN'S BALL LAST NIGHT. "SCIENCE BROS" WHICH, FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT NOW, PICTS THE HOMOEROTIC RELATNSHIP BETWEEN BCE BANNER (MARK RUFFALO) AND TONY STARK (ROBERT DOWNEY JR.). AND MARK LOVED {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN FACT, HE LOVED SO MUCH HE ULDN'T STOP GIGGLG AND STARG AT THE PHOTOS (WE GOT THE ABOVE ONE OM HERE), TO THE POT WHERE HIS PUBLICIST GOT NCERNED. NOT SO MUCH BEE OF THE LGHG, BUT BEE SHE SAW HER CLIENT LOOKG AT HOMOEROTIC {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}AFTER ASKG MARK IF THOSE DRAWGS WERE OF HIM (AND PROBABLY EAKG OUT), HE TOLD HER; "Y! IT'S ME AND ROBERT! LOOK AT THIS! THERE'S THOANDS OF THEM! IT'S LLED THE SCIENCE BROS. THIS IS AWOME. I'VE NEVER HEARD OF . WHY HASN'T ANYONE TOLD ME ABOUT THAT?"{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}HE WENT ON TO SAY; "I ENDORSE 100 PERCENT. YOU KNOW WHAT IS? IT'S OPEN-SOURCE CREATIVY."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}A HOTTIE WH A SENSE OF HUMOR. IF ONLY HE WERE REALLY GAY...{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BRILLIANT DOVE EXPERIMENT US SKETCH ARTIST TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS
• MARK RUFFALO – WIFE, CHILDREN, BROTHER, FAY, ETHNICY, AGE, IS HE GAY?
• MARK RUFFALO TALKS ABOUT PLAYG GAY “THE NORMAL HEART” AND HIS SUPPORT OF LGBT EQUALY

MARK RUFFALO WAS SCHOOLED BY ‘NORMAL HEART’S’ PNEERG GAY PLAYWRIGHT

”The actor, who has played rol rangg om a brawny green superhero (the Hulk “The Avengers”) to a hapls sperm donor to a lbian uple (“The Kids Are All Right”) the urse of his 25-year-reer, now tak on Kramer’s quasi-tobgraphil Ned Weeks, the ornery gay activist at the center of “The Normal Heart” who fervently tri to shake the public to actn after a myster disease begs plagug the gay muny the early ‘80s. It premier May wh passn, pa and fury, the drama beckons one to look back jt as gay rights are unrgog a sea change.

MARK RUFFALO REVEALS HIS INIAL CONCERNS OVER TAKG ON A GAY ROLE ‘THE NORMAL HEART’

To remember — for some, image — a society before gay TV characters were a monaly and same-sex marriage an actualy more and more actn “The Normal Heart” tak place between 1981 and 1984 New York Cy, when the gay muny was still the reverberatns of the Stonewall rts and the sexual revolutn. “Prejudice killed lns and lns of people durg that time, ” Murphy, the openly gay TV producer behd TV’s “Glee” and “Amerin Horror Story, said by phone.

MARK RUFFALO JT LEARNED ABOUT HIS GAY RELATNSHIP WH ROBERT DOWNEY {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}CELEBRIBY CHRIS SPARGOAPRIL 17, 2013/5:03 PMBY CHRIS SPARGOAPRIL 17, 2013 / 5:03 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"MARK RUFFALO JT LEARNED ABOUT HIS GAY RELATNSHIP WH ROBERT DOWNEY JR.","DATEPUBLISHED":"2013-04-17T21:03:28.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2013-04-17T21:03:28.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"CHRIS SPARGO","ARTICLESECTN":"CELEBRI"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}[PTN ID="ATTACHMENT_97053" ALIGN="ALIGNCENTER" WIDTH="500"] LOVE IS A BETIFUL THG.[/PTN]{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MARK RUFFALO IS NOT A HUGE FAN OF THE INTER SEEMS, AND HAS NEVER REALLY GOOGLED HIMSELF, SO ONE REPORTER OM VULTURE TOOK THE CHANCE TO TRODUCE MR. RUFFALO TO "SCIENCE BROS" WHEN HE PICKED UP AN ACTIVISM AWARD AT THE ANNUAL RIVERKEEPER'S FISHERMEN'S BALL LAST NIGHT. "SCIENCE BROS" WHICH, FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT NOW, PICTS THE HOMOEROTIC RELATNSHIP BETWEEN BCE BANNER (MARK RUFFALO) AND TONY STARK (ROBERT DOWNEY JR.). AND MARK LOVED {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN FACT, HE LOVED SO MUCH HE ULDN'T STOP GIGGLG AND STARG AT THE PHOTOS (WE GOT THE ABOVE ONE OM HERE), TO THE POT WHERE HIS PUBLICIST GOT NCERNED. NOT SO MUCH BEE OF THE LGHG, BUT BEE SHE SAW HER CLIENT LOOKG AT HOMOEROTIC {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}AFTER ASKG MARK IF THOSE DRAWGS WERE OF HIM (AND PROBABLY EAKG OUT), HE TOLD HER; "Y! IT'S ME AND ROBERT! LOOK AT THIS! THERE'S THOANDS OF THEM! IT'S LLED THE SCIENCE BROS. THIS IS AWOME. I'VE NEVER HEARD OF . WHY HASN'T ANYONE TOLD ME ABOUT THAT?"{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}HE WENT ON TO SAY; "I ENDORSE 100 PERCENT. YOU KNOW WHAT IS? IT'S OPEN-SOURCE CREATIVY."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}A HOTTIE WH A SENSE OF HUMOR. IF ONLY HE WERE REALLY GAY...{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BRILLIANT DOVE EXPERIMENT US SKETCH ARTIST TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

The legendary — and divisive — figure the gay rights movement offered a master class of sorts, sharg photos and stori of the plac and people at the heart of the turmoil.

MARK RUFFALO – WIFE, CHILDREN, BROTHER, FAY, ETHNICY, AGE, IS HE GAY?

’ I really started to unrstand where the gay culture was before, where was after, how prophetic Larry was. “I sort of felt like we were a place where the character should and uld be played by a gay actor, ” Ruffalo said. “The gift was that the gay muny realized they were human, and that they mand to be treated as so.

He’d left the wrtlg program at his high school and swched to the drama partment for his senr year, actg plays and hangg out a muny that clud one openly gay choreographer. “He was the only gay person that I thought I’d ever known my life, ” Ruffalo said wh a lgh.

“And the only gay person that I thought lived Virgia Beach at the time. ’ And that’s when he said, ‘I’m gay, and I’m love wh you, and I’m aaid you’re not gonna be my iend anymore. As Ned Weeks Ryan Murphy‘s acclaimed HBO film of the Larry Kramer play “The Normal Heart, ” he rag at the forc — ernmental, societal and even wh the gay muny — that failed to speak up the early years of the AIDS epimic.

MARK RUFFALO TALKS ABOUT PLAYG GAY “THE NORMAL HEART” AND HIS SUPPORT OF LGBT EQUALY

Kramer (and his fictnal alter ego) may not have been well-liked durg those years the ’80s when he simply refed to shut up, but he was also right: The guy who screamed the loust and the longt was the one who forced actn at a time when the print wouldn’t even utter the word “AIDS, ” much of society blamed and ostracized the victims, and actn meant ath to an entire generatn of gay men. “He was spised for what he was dog, even the gay muny, but he vented morn activism, ” said Ruffalo, who his personal life actively mpaigns agast ackg and for marriage equaly, among other . There, the Wisns-born actor first beme aware of the plague sweepg the gay muny — and over and over, heard classmat at the Stella Adler Conservatory liver monologu om “The Normal Heart.

” (“The Normal Heart” tails the creatn of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, which Kramer -found but left when he felt was too passive, lnchg the more nontatnal ACT UP. “I said to Ryan, ‘Isn’t time that a gay actor plays this part? It don’t matter if you’re straight or gay — I want the person I thk is right for the part, and that’s you.

What he particularly admired about Kramer, he said, is the way the playwright and activist had been lobbyg to refe gay inty for more than 30 years. ’ He knew that ’78, and he was hated the gay culture bee of . We met, and my thkg at the time was, ‘Aren't we at the place our culture, our velopment, where a gay man should be playg this part?