In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Frank Grillo, known for his roles in action-packed films and Marvel’s blockbusters, drew an interesting comparison between himself and fellow Marvel Universe actor Mark Ruffalo.
Grillo stated that his acting talent extends far beyond the tough-guy roles he is often associated with. Saying he is actually a jack-of-all-trades, the actor claimed there aren’t many who can both be a tough guy and do drama roles, like Mark Ruffalo, who isn’t actually a tough guy:
“I can do the action thing, and I could also do ‘Lamborghini,’ or I could do a movie where I’m a dad. But there’s not a lot of guys that can do both. They can do the drama, but there are not a lot of guys that can do the action or the tough guy thing. They just can’t. Mark Ruffalo is awesome. He’s not a tough guy. I’m never afraid of Mark Ruffalo, but he’s a gorgeous actor.”
Grillo Believes He’s Different From Other Actors
Reflecting on his own career, Grillo described his process of selecting roles as one that involves carefully sifting through numerous scripts to find those that stand out or have the potential to be elevated through his participation:
“Whatever performances that I’ve had that have stuck out, it’s because of the filmmaker. If a filmmaker has a script that is top-tier, that’s what you look for. I could jump on a movie like ‘Lamborghini’ and have to be a middle-aged Italian guy, and I love that. I’m about to do a film based on a memoir, and I’m friends with the writer now, who’s very similar to me in looks. I’m really excited to go and explore what this guy’s journey was, and what his memoir is about, and have nothing to do with my fists, or vulgarity, or the dark subculture of humanity.”
Grillo then touched on the difficulty of being pigeonholed, expressing his wish to explore more different roles similar to those offered to Ruffalo. According to Grillo, Ruffalo is widely recognized in Hollywood for his acting talent, which gives him a broader selection of scripts. Grillo stated:
“I’m just curious about a lot of things. The other thing is, in my career, I’m not Mark Ruffalo. He gets offered all kinds of interesting stuff, and I also get some of that — but I have to sift through what I get offered and make a decision on how I can make it good if that makes sense. Often, it’s just the same script over and over, or it’s my job to make it interesting, or they’re going to build it around me because I’m that guy. But truthfully, I’m not that guy.”
Looking ahead, Grillo is set to voice Rick Flag Sr. in ‘Creature Commandos’ and has six other projects in the pipeline. Meanwhile, Mark Ruffalo is working on three projects, including ‘Mickey 17,‘ an untitled HBO Drama series, and ‘Hal & Harper.‘
