A boy from the midwest (Kenosha, WI) watches “A Streetcar Named Desire” starring Marlon Brando one day and tells his grandmother he wants to do that. A few years later, he goes from high school wrestler to the theater department and the seeds to his dream is planted. Now fast forward to Saturday June 6, 2015 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Chicago, this same boy, now a man with many accolades and roles under his belt is being honored for that dream by the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mark Ruffalo, two-time Academy Award® nominated actor, was presented with the Renaissance Award and a proclamation from the State of Illinois.
The Siskel Film Center’s annual benefit, co-chaired this year by Marlene Iglitzen and Ellen Kollar, raising more than $400,000 towards programming, was a celebration of Ruffalo’s accomplishments as an actor, director and producer.
The evening began with Ruffalo conducting interviews an taking pictures on the press line where several VIP attendees including host committee and advisory board members Ellen & Richard Sandor, Eda Davidman, Rosie & Elliot Levin, David Hunley, Maggie Baczkowski, Chaz Ebert, the Siskel children, had the opportunity to take pictures with him. As a testament to how amazingly kind, cool and relatable he truly is, he obliged to photo requests and even mingled with some guests outside of the VIP reception area before being seated for dinner with his family.
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- Candi Carter, Mark Ruffalo
Following dinner, Chicago Tribune Film Critic Michael Phillips led the conversation portion of the evening’s program which gave attendees the rare opportunity to hear as Ruffalo reminisced about his path to academy nominated actor (it included a few odd jobs and moving back to Kenosha at some point to work with his dad), favorite roles, his brain tumor (benign acoustic neuroma he found out 3 weeks before baby was born), insights into his creative process and influences, Kenneth Lonergan and what thrills him and receiving the Renaissance Award & proclamation (“do you guys know something that I don’t?”).
The conversation portion is one of the big draws for this benefit that counts supporters that have been attending 10+ years. One guest who sat at the Sandor table said her and her husband enjoy coming to the Siskel Film Center benefit because it feels, at least for a night like a hollywood awards evening, and they support because they understand the importance of independent filmmakers.
The raffle drawing featured a Sundance package donated by Hal “Corky” Kessler, tropical oasis in Puerto Rico and selfie with Mark Ruffalo which Eli’s Cheesecake’s Maureen & Marc Shulman won followed by video of his family and Robert Downey Jr congratulating him.
Following that, several montages of his film credits which included “54” “My life Without Me” “Collateral” “Shutter Island” “Normal Heart” “Foxcatcher” “The Kids Are Alright” and ending the night with “The Avengers” played. Ruffalo started it off on a light note when it seemed Phillips’ initial question ran just a tad too long and for the duration of the conversation, was candid and warm. The actor also mentioned his dad, who was in attendance, played a judge in “Foxcatcher”
The final question of the night was “What do you know for sure?” to which he responded “Love is the answer” and with that a few more selfie requests, congratulations and fin, grand closing.
photo credits: Bob Carl; Holly Max Myrick
