Mark. An Obssession.

Every once in a while, I'll get addicted to something to the point where I become a virtual expert on the subject, or I'll get addicted to a person, usually a famous figure, who I could write a biography for.

My latest addiction: Mark Ruffalo. I cannot explain what it is about this actor, but it's not a juvenile crush that is the reasoning behind following his career in movies, in fact, his looks are secondary. I can't say I've seen a lot of his movies, yet, but in the last month or so, I've managed to see three of his not-so-famous films, and found that he has a trademark which brings something to the screen- something resembling innocence, but not quite. This trademark peaks through, even when he's playing a New York City detective investigating murders and donning tough-looking tattoos like in the movie, In the Cut. As Detective Giovanni Malloy, a character who originally appeared in the book of the same title by Susanna Moore as a tough no non-sense kind of guy, Mark Ruffalo was able to take a sleazy New York detective and turn him into a gentleman.

His innocence even peaks through his role as Jack Linden, a married man with two children who has an affair with his best friend's wife in We Don't Live Here Anymore. And in My Life Without Me, he fits right in as a bookworm who knowingly has an affair and falls in love with a married woman with two girls, but is unaware of a terminal illness, which finally kills her.

Ruffalo's choices in role selection have, at least in the three films I've seen recently, impressed me and helped in adding him to the list of people I feel are the best in their field.