“Worst thing I ever did”: Mark Ruffalo Panicked for His Dear Life Before the Best Play of His Career, Years After We Know the Culprit Who Almost Ruined His Night

SUMMARY

• Mark Ruffalo revealed on The Graham Norton Show that a younger actor pranked him by swapping a prop joint for a real one during a 2000 play.
• Ruffalo panicked after realizing he was smoking a real joint onstage, but the prank surprisingly didn't ruin the performance, earning him the best reviews of his career.
• Years later, Succession star Kieran Culkin confessed to being the young actor behind the prank, revealing he was 17 and "stupid" at the time.

Mark Ruffalo is an incredible actor and has entertained the audience with his incredible portrayals in movies, series, and plays. But even the greatest artist has a story of struggle, fear, and moments of vulnerability. For, Mark Ruffalo, one such moment came during one of the most celebrated performances of his career.

Mark Ruffalo | Credits: Infinity War / Marvel Studios

However, the night soon turned into a moment of near disaster when a younger actor pranked him, leaving Ruffalo in sheer panic. And now years later, the culprit behind Ruffalo’s panicked state has come forward.

When Mark Ruffalo had his career’s best night nearly ruined by a prank

Mark Ruffalo on the Graham Norton Show | Credit: YouTube

Mark Ruffalo has not just been in movies, but he has also shown off his remarkable talent in the world of theatre. However, his journey there has not been without mishaps and there was once a time that his career-best night was nearly ruined by a younger actor and his endearing prank.

In an old appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Ruffalo revealed the story of how he and other actors in a play they were in were pranked by their co-star.

There was a play that I did where I smoked a joint in the first scene. Of course, there was a very naughty young actor I was in the play with. On the opening night with all the critics, we slipped a real joint onto the prop table. Between the two of us, we smoked a giant blunt onstage. … But at the end of the play, I got the best reviews of my entire career. But I’d never do that again.

Calling it the worst thing I ever did, Ruffalo revealed he panicked after realizing that they were smoking a real joint. While all these years Ruffalo has kept the identity of the culprit a secret, the culprit himself revealed his deed in a recent interview.

Who is the young actor who nearly ruined Mark Ruffalo’s best performance?

Succession star Kieran Culkin | Credit: HBO

While Mark Ruffalo himself did not reveal the identity of the young actor who pranked him, the young actor himself confessed in a recent interview. And it is none other than the Succession star Kieran Culkin who swapped a prop joint for a real one when cast in a play alongside Mark Ruffalo in 2000.

In an interview with The Guardian, Culkin revealed,

I was 17 and stupid. “I’m like, ‘I thought this was a good prank. I’m stupid. Oh my God, I’m so sorry.’ But actually, they loved it. Mark says, ‘I haven’t smoked pot in 10 years. The second half’s going to be so much fun.’… There was this other actor who had never smoked pot in her life. She goes, ‘Is this what being high is? This is lovely.’ And then Phyllis Newman comes in and goes, ‘I haven’t smoked pot since the 1960s. Thank you, darling.’

This all took place when Ruffalo and Culkin starred in James Lapine’s play The Moment When. While Culkin now regrets it, and he revealed that he attempted to pull a similar prank on Colin Hanks during a play. Well, while no one could have guessed that it was Culkin who pulled the prank, now that he has confessed it all makes sense.

Written by Maria Sultan

Articles Published: 1988