Mark Ruffalo might be a household name now. However, that was not always the case. While he has been adored for his Marvel role of Hulk, the actor was once faced with a rather difficult choice between his career and his health. Although the Academy Award-nominated star has managed to make his way in Hollywood, he recently shed some light on the struggles he had to make his way through to get there.

From the tabloid slander to inner battles with himself, the 56-year-old ended up revealing the struggles he had to go through when his career was just starting out.

Mark Ruffalo reveals medical woes from the past

In a recent interview for Deadline’s AwardsLine issue, The Adam Project actor, Mark Ruffalo shared some jarring revelations about his career and health struggles. Back in 2001, the actor starred in his first big movie, You Can Count on Me and managed to land another gig on The Last Castle. Although life seemed to be going well for him, the father of three revealed that he had a dream that told him he had a “brain tumor.”

After a quick visit to the doctor, it was confirmed that he had a large tumor in his brain. That was when the panic set in for Ruffalo, who said, “I thought I was going to die.” The medical problem led the star to pull back from a lot of his films like “an M. Night Shyamalan movie” and another project with Mel Gibson. With the actor suddenly dropping off the face of the earth, tabloids began jumping to their own conclusions.

From drug abuse claims to STDs, the media stopped at nothing to find out why Ruffalo had “disappeared.” Now, decades later, the actor shared why he decided to come back to Hollywood.

Why Mark Ruffalo came back to Hollywood after his brain tumor

During the same interview with Deadline, Mark Ruffalo explained how his brush with death only made him want to act even more. He said the whole experience had made him look at death, but it also made him look “at not being an actor.” The BAFTA winner then admitted that he had spent his “whole life trying to do one thing” but with the news of his brain tumor, he felt like all of that was “gone.”

Ruffalo continued that the thought of losing what he had worked so hard for made him feel “desperate.” Thankfully, it looks like the desperation for life and will to fight paid off for the 56-year-old. He now has had a long and happy marriage to Sunrise Coigney, 3 children, and a rather accomplished career.

What do you think about Mark Ruffalo’s sudden revelation about his Hollywood struggles? Let us know in the comments below.