Filming Intimate Scenes with Emma Stone Was a Daunting Ordeal for Her Co-star.

It seems like the courageous Hulk was scared about rolling in bed with Emma Stone. Popularly known by one of her screen names Gwen Stacy, American actress Emma Stone has won the hearts of all cinema lovers across the globe. Celebrated for movies like La La Land (2016), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), and The Favourite (2018), Stone is aging like a fine wine and so are her acting skills.

Released in the USA on 8th December, 2023, Poor Things features Emma Stone opposite Mark Ruffalo a.k.a Hulk. The movie has received 92% rotten tomatoes for its gorgeous sets and costumes, exceptional actors, and hidden symbolism. However, Stone’s co-star recently shared something unusual about the movie.

Emma Stone in The Favorite (2018)

Intimate Scenes with Emma Stone Was a Challenge for Mark Ruffalo

Directed by none other than Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things(2023) is a comedy/sci-fi film starring Stone as Bella Baxter and Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderburn. The film had demanded the 56-year-old Ruffalo share intimate scenes with his 35-year-old co-star Stone. Although Ruffalo agreed to play along, he always had an itching sensation in his mind regarding it.

Mark Ruffalo and Emma Stone in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things

His conscience questioned him about romancing Emma Stone as she was way younger than him. Performing naked with an actress who is two decades younger than him made him nervous. During his interview with Perfect Magazine for the cover story, he said:
“I didn’t know if I could pull this off. I’ve never done anything like this before. So, like, the s*x scenes… Am I too old to be doing that kind of stuff? Does anyone want to see that?” 
This concern of Ruffalo not only shows that he was scared of the intimate scenes but also shows his professional respect for his co-star. Seems like our Hulk is pretty tough from the outside but gentle from the inside.

Mark Ruffalo Was Concerned About Age Gap Between Him and Emma Stone

Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things

In the context of Poor Things, Mark Ruffalo has raised a few important concerns. His worries regarding the intimate affair with Emma Stone in the movie despite their age gap are quite understandable. Ruffalo appreciated the script of Poor Things on receiving it. However, he admitted that he was scared of playing the assigned role. He even suggested another actor’s name to substitute him.

He was not able to accept the fact that he needed to do intimate scenes with such a young actress. He doubted his ability regarding it. On top of that, the opinions of the audience, which were yet to come, were also bothering him.

Regarding his discomfort with shooting the nude scenes, The Normal Heart actor said (via Variety’s Actors on Actors):
“I was like, ‘Do I have to?’ All I can hear is, ‘Nobody wants to see your old a** anymore. Maybe you shouldn’t be doing movies like that anymore.’”
He even went on to say how he had to wear different things to match up to the director’s expectations.
“Do you know I had an a** pad in? My legs were like four inches bigger. My calf was four [inches]. He really wanted the silhouette. I was wearing a corset with shoulder pads, so I was so squeezed in. It was even more extreme.”

This shows how the age factor in an intimate scene affects the minds of the actors as well as the audience. It’s completely subjective to how someone will perceive the entire situation. That being said, Ruffalo’s hard work paid off for everyone in the movie considering how successful the movie has been.