MARK RUFFALO RESERVED ABOUT REVENGE

Mark Ruffalo plays a hit and run driver fighting off a vengeful father in Reservation Road.

Reservation Road is based on the novel by John Burnham Schwartz which Mark Ruffalo read faithfully to understand his character Dwight Arno, a divorced attorney who is tragically conflicted with telling his son the truth about accidentally killing a neighborhood boy while speeding to get him home from their baseball outing.

Mark says he found it difficult to empathize with a man who leaves the scene of a crime.

“I had to really try and find what was human about what Dwight does and how he reacts to it and that was really difficult to do. But I do think that and I would hope that people see this guy and see the hell he’s living. And his life ceases to exist in an odd way from the moment in that accident, he drives away. It’s just done.”

Joaquin Phoenix plays the father of the boy who is killed and can only think of one thing, getting revenge for his death. Mark says the film explores another way to find closure for a senseless tragedy.

“This movie is dealing with some themes about forgiveness, about really looking across at the other person who you hate, who you’ve demonized, who you want to destroy, who you completely made into a machine, something inanimate that doesn’t have a heart or a soul. And to go from that to seeing that there’s a human being there.”

Reservation Road which stars Mira Sorvino as Ruffalo’s estranged wife opens Friday October 19th in theaters nationwide.