The Making Of The MCU: 17 Fascinating Behind-The-Scenes Details You Need To Know

16. The Bizarre Way Mark Ruffalo Got The Hulk Job

Netflix Daredevil banned from MCU movies
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Marvel Studios is one of the most secretive movie companies out there, employing all kinds of covert tactics like inserting fake shots into trailers to lead fans astray, or refusing to give its actors full access to movie scripts.

This level of mystique also extends to the studio's casting process, which is something Mark Ruffalo learned while vying for the Hulk job.

Ruffalo knew that if he got the role, he'd be appearing onstage at Comic-Con 2010, which obviously sounded exciting. But the way Marvel Studios actually told him he was successful probably left the actor feeling rather stressed:

"I got a call saying 'wake up tomorrow at four o'clock in the morning. Look out your window. If there's a limo there, you're doing the part. If not, go back to bed.'"

That limo ended up taking him to the plane that would fly him to San Diego, meaning that Ruffalo had no time to process his casting before he was thrust into that glaring Comic-Con spotlight. Not cool, Feige. Not cool.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.