"I like to disappear in the parts I play"
About this Quote
The intent is modest on the surface (a performer describing process), yet the subtext is a pushback against the modern economy of attention. For Ruffalo, whose public image often includes earnestness, activism, and a kind of approachable decency, disappearing becomes a way to dodge the flattening effect of fame. It is easier for audiences to consume a familiar archetype than a complicated person. Vanishing into a role is a bid to keep complexity alive.
Context matters: Ruffalo is known less for flashy transformation than for interior work - the small fractures in voice, posture, and hesitation that signal a life being lived offscreen. "Disappear" doesn't necessarily mean gaining 40 pounds or adopting a prosthetic nose. It means letting the character's contradictions take over, even when the actor's own likability would be a simpler sell.
The line also flatters the audience in a subtle way. It asks viewers to meet the work halfway, to stop scanning for the star and start reading the human. In that exchange, acting stops being exhibitionism and becomes, at its best, a kind of temporary anonymity.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Ruffalo, Mark. (2026, January 16). I like to disappear in the parts I play. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-to-disappear-in-the-parts-i-play-129940/
Chicago Style
Ruffalo, Mark. "I like to disappear in the parts I play." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-to-disappear-in-the-parts-i-play-129940/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I like to disappear in the parts I play." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-to-disappear-in-the-parts-i-play-129940/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.

