Robert Downey Jr. talked to his Marvel co-star Mark Ruffalo about his intimate scene in Poor Things.

Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, also known as the science bros of the Avengers franchise, spoke to one another and discussed their recent projects. The Iron Man star portrayed Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s biopic film Oppenheimer, while the Dark Waters actor played Duncan Wedderburn in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things.

Robert Downey Jr.

One of the highlights in both movies is the intimacy shown on the screen, particularly Ruffalo’s own scene with Emma Stone, which evoked strong reactions from viewers. For Downey Jr., he thinks his fellow actor took a really big risk.

Robert Downey Jr. And Mark Ruffalo Talked About That One Scene In Poor Things

While speaking on Variety’s Actors on Actors segment, Robert Downey Jr. brought up Mark Ruffalo’s naked scene in Poor Things. He commented:

“If we want to talk about courage under fire, the fact that 11 seconds into this performance, you are buck naked and going for it in a way that, again, wasn’t gratuitous, but it was very…”
Ruffalo completed the sentence by adding “raw,” and stated the fact that he has no idea how he managed it. The Iron Man star remarked:
“That to me is the ultimate risk.”

Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things

The Shutter Island star admitted he did not particularly like the scene, and he was also apprehensive about doing it in the beginning. Still, he decided to do it and eventually realized its significance in the whole picture:
“I was like, “Do I have to?” All I can hear is, “Nobody wants to see your old ass anymore. Maybe you shouldn’t be doing movies like that anymore.” I mean, it’s my least favorite part of it, but I also saw it as an extension of the physical comedy that we were already finding. So it was just another way to tell the story.”

Downey Jr. assured his fellow actor that his next statement was a compliment, and then proceeded to flatter him more by telling Ruffalo that he finds him very attractive:

“There is no one I’ve ever come across who is more anxious to not be vain past the point where it is necessary to achieve an end for their work. It’s a huge compliment. But I’ve got to say, you look pretty bangable to me, in case you were wondering.”
Oppenheimer ended its theatrical run as a commercial and critical success, earning over $952 million worldwide. Poor Things will premiere on December 8, 2023.

Mark Ruffalo Had A Great Time Filming Poor Things

Mark Ruffalo

In the same conversation via Variety, Robert Downey Jr. asked his Avengers co-star if he had fun shooting for Poor Things:

“You all seem to have this very concise execution, but you feel all the sense of play in it. You feel it was really a high-wire act. Was it fun? It must’ve been fun.”
Mark Ruffalo replied in the affirmative, noting that his character gave him some sense of freedom to portray a role that truly excited him:
“Oh, it was the time of my life. I got to play that guy with no sense of self-consciousness or no sense of morality, really no sense of any bounds whatsoever that hold us.”
Their conversation ended with both actors praising each other’s works. Even though they are now working on different projects, they remain great friends, and fans will always remember them as the science bros.