It definitely has to be tough to be nominated for an Academy Award – the nervousness, the anticipation, the pressure — but it also has to be pretty tough to be nominated alongside a man who basically has the same name as you. That’s what happened on Sunday night at the 2016 Oscars. Mark Rylance and Mark Ruffalo were both nominated for Best Supporting Actor for their work in Bridge Of Spies and Spotlight, respectively, and, when Rylance’s name was called as the winner, there was a split second there when Mark Ruffalo might have thought that he won the Oscar instead. Pretty awkward.
Personally, I think that both men were surprised to hear “Mark R—” to begin with. Everyone had been reporting that this was Sylvester Stallone’s award to lose for reprising his role as Rocky Balboa in Creed, and it was very much a shock that Stallone walked away empty handed. No Marks were supposed to even have had their name announced, let alone the wrong Mark (or the other Mark, depending on your preferences). You can see both Marks embark on the emotional roller coaster that was this Oscar announcement below, as they have to wait for just those last few letters to reveal who won Best Supporting Actor.
Luckily, the Academy Awards don’t happen in a vacuum, and plenty of people on social media jumped right into to comment on poor old Ruffalo’s feelings.
Seriously, what an awkward moment for Ruffalo — I think the worst part is having to act cool even though everyone is looking right at you for your reaction. It's like tripping over a step in front of a crowded gym full of people and then just slinking to a treadmill like nothing happened (not that this happened to me or anything... it was a friend). You'll get them next time, Ruffalo — just make sure that Rylance doesn't make a big time movie alongside you.
