Mark Ruffalo talks playing The Hulk in The Avengers

Taking on a role two other actors have played relatively recently can’t be an easy decision to make, especially when the majority of fans would prefer the previous guy to still be around. But Mark Ruffalo in Bruce Banner now, and he gave his first interview following his appearance at Comic-Con with the rest of The Avengers cast last weekend.

From Entertainment Weekly:

It was very exciting — and I realized I had some pretty big shoes to fill. Those were my heroes up there! I was a comic book fan growing up. I loved The Hulk and The Avengers — it’s just strange to be entering that world as an actor. I never would have imagined that before.

You’ll be playing Bruce Banner, The Hulk’s human alter ego. What are your thoughts on the character?
He’s a guy struggling with two sides of himself — the dark and the light — and everything he does in his life is filtered through issues of control. I grew up on the Bill Bixby TV series, which I thought was a really nuanced and real human way to look at The Hulk. I like that the part has those qualities.

Did you have any trepidation taking the role, given the very public way Marvel split with Edward Norton?
I’m a friend of Ed’s, and yeah, that wasn’t a great way for all that to go down. But the way I see it is that Ed has bequeathed this part to me. I look at it as my generation’s Hamlet.

Ruffalo also said he may begin filming his part in the winter, but he is unsure at the moment. I suppose he will only need to be around half of the time as CGI will take over when Banner becomes The Hulk.

Click here to read the fully interview.