Why do the Actors Matter?

[Paul Farquhar]

I can't buy Mark Ruffalo as a genius of really any kind, and whilst he can do angry/bitter he hasn't really pulled that out for Banner

From my time as a research assistant, Ruffalo’s Banner in line with a good many scientists I knew at the time. Humorous, witty, sardonic and unassuming.

But I agree that he lacks that kernel of suppressed anger that someone with the Hulk inside should have.

 

[trappedslider]

X-Men and Tony Stark will be recast, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige reveals

"'Reboot' is a scary word," Feige told journalists while promoting "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."

www.yahoo.com

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[Mannahnin]

Yeah I get that's probably what they're going for, I just don't buy it. I've met people who genuinely are always angry (but not at all psycho) and keeping a charming, controlled lid on it, and there's a fierce-ness to them that his portrayal of Banner just totally lacks. In fact I'd go as far as to say the charity sector has no shortage of people like that (I'm particularly thinking of one brilliant communications director I knew).

Solid takes re: Ruffalo vs. Norton and the portrayals.

 

[James Gasik]

Solid takes re: Ruffalo vs. Norton and the portrayals.

I really liked Norton's Banner. But it has been said he's notorious to work with, despite being able to turn out some stellar performances (when he's not phoning it in because he hates the role, compare and contrast, say, Kingdom of Heaven vs. The Italian Job).

 

[Mannahnin]

Yeah, I always figured/understood that he wasn't an option for/interested in The Avengers and committing to the whole MCU deal. I don't mind Ruffalo at all, but I agree with Ruin about his performance in general. I like him, but he doesn't sell super genius or carefully controlled anger very well.

 

[James Gasik]

Yeah, I always figured/understood that he wasn't an option for/interested in The Avengers and committing to the whole MCU deal. I don't mind Ruffalo at all, but I agree with Ruin about his performance in general. I like him, but he doesn't sell super genius or carefully controlled anger very well.

I think part of the problem is that media has trained us to think of super geniuses as either absent minded autists or smarmy jackasses. The idea that a normal seeming guy could have an IQ of 170 becomes difficult to find believable.

As for the anger part, I remember for a long time in the comics, it wasn't just anger that triggered the Hulk transformation. I remember an issue of Defenders where Bruce was afraid to go to go with his teammates to the movies for fear that something would trigger a strong emotional response- not just anger, but fear, anxiety, frustration, what have you.

In Hulk vs. Wolverine, Logan triggered the transformation by stabbing a drugged Bruce and leaving him to bleed out- the terror of dying apparently being the catalyst.

That having been said, no, Mark's performance isn't that of an angry man. But Bruce Banner doesn't have to be. He's just someone who repressed a lot of his emotions due to trauma and abuse with another guy living in his head who doesn't know the meaning of the word "repress".

 

[Ryujin]

I think part of the problem is that media has trained us to think of super geniuses as either absent minded autists or smarmy jackasses. The idea that a normal seeming guy could have an IQ of 170 becomes difficult to find believable.

As for the anger part, I remember for a long time in the comics, it wasn't just anger that triggered the Hulk transformation. I remember an issue of Defenders where Bruce was afraid to go to go with his teammates to the movies for fear that something would trigger a strong emotional response- not just anger, but fear, anxiety, frustration, what have you.

In Hulk vs. Wolverine, Logan triggered the transformation by stabbing a drugged Bruce and leaving him to bleed out- the terror of dying apparently being the catalyst.

That having been said, no, Mark's performance isn't that of an angry man. But Bruce Banner doesn't have to be. He's just someone who repressed a lot of his emotions due to trauma and abuse with another guy living in his head who doesn't know the meaning of the word "repress".

Yup, Hulk is the one who flips tables. Not Banner. Given the physiological changes that accompany an emotion like anger, I wouldn't really expect someone who is constantly angry, but repressing it in some way to avoid those changes, to "look" angry in any reasonable way.

 

[MGibster]

Whilst I basically agree - I generally think recasting is fine in principle unless a character is genuinely inseparable from an actor (which is rare but does happen imho), but, but and really this is a big but, "So long as they do a good job" is absolutely hugely load-bearing here. That's got thousands of tons of stone all pressing down on that little arch!

I agree. It's hard to envision anyone else as Genghis Khan after John Wayne's stellar performance in The Conqueror.

As a general rule, I don't have a big problem with replacing actors. At least not most of the time, especially when decades have passed since the original. Would I have accepted anyone but Harrison Ford in the role of Indiana Jones in 1992? No. Now? Well, still no, only because I don't think the world needs more Indiana Jones movies. If someone were to someday make some sequel movies to the original Star Wars trilogy, I would expect the parts of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia would need to be recast because it's been more than forty years since the last movie.

 

[Staffan]

(Addams Family was also probably pretty great recasting-wise but I barely knew the original even back then.)

Speaking of which, Jenna Ortega makes for a great slightly-older Wednesday Addams. I'm not sold on the rest of the recasting (it is hard to top Raul Julia, unless you are Anjelica Huston), but she is stellar in the role.

 

[Hussar]

Yup, Hulk is the one who flips tables. Not Banner. Given the physiological changes that accompany an emotion like anger, I wouldn't really expect someone who is constantly angry, but repressing it in some way to avoid those changes, to "look" angry in any reasonable way.

Like any character, there's been a million takes. The old Bill Bixby Banner wasn't particularly angry at all. Heck, he wasn't even all that repressed. But, his trigger was usually because of the relentless hounding and pursuit he was facing. Otherwise, he was just a normal guy.

And, as far as comic book Banner goes, the character has undergone so many changes and rewrites over the years that it's more like Batman - it really depends on who is writing him at the time.