Mark Ruffalo did not attend the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) premiere of his new film “Being Heumann.”
His absence comes amid continued attention surrounding his criticism of Paramount Skydance and its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Mark Ruffalo misses the Being Heumann TIFF premiere as his Paramount controversy continues to draw attention
According to Page Six Hollywood, Ruffalo was absent from the TIFF opening-night premiere of “Being Heumann.” A representative for Apple, which is distributing the film, said, “Mark is in production on his show ‘Task’ in Philadelphia and was unable to join us.”
Ruffalo’s absence comes as his recent dispute with Paramount Skydance continues to draw attention. However, there is no indication that the controversy was the reason he missed the premiere.
The actor has been a vocal opponent of Paramount Skydance’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. In August, Ruffalo criticized Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison and his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, over Oracle’s ties to Israel and its military. He also described the war in Gaza as a “genocide” built on an “apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.”
Paramount responded by accusing Ruffalo of invoking “antisemitic tropes.” The company also said that applying terms such as “genocide” and “apartheid” to a corporate transaction went “a bridge too far.” Ruffalo pushed back against the accusation. He said that criticizing Israeli government actions, military technology contracts, or executives connected to them is not the same as criticizing Jewish people.
Ruffalo’s absence also meant he did not join his “Being Heumann” castmates at the TIFF premiere. Director Siân Heder appeared at the event. Meanwhile, the film’s disabled cast members, including Ruth Madeley, who plays disability rights activist Judy Heumann, were among those representing the movie.
Heder’s film focuses on Heumann’s activism and her role in the disability rights movement. Ruffalo plays Joseph Califano Jr. He is a Carter administration official who became one of the major opponents of the activists in the film.
Critics have given Ruffalo’s performance mixed reviews. The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney described the actor as “doing a somewhat buffoonish impersonation” of the government official. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, meanwhile, praised his performance as “played with weary mid-century bureaucratic testiness.”
“Being Heumann” had its world premiere at TIFF on September 10. The film’s limited theatrical release is on November 6 before streaming on Apple TV.
Mark Ruffalo has long been an outspoken critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Moreover, he has continued to speak publicly about the conflict and the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.
