While you usually see an actor playing two roles for comedies (looking at you, Eddie Murphy) it seems as though Mark Ruffalo is getting very dramatic with his performance as a pair of twins for HBO’s upcoming I Know This Much Is True. Based on the 1998 novel by Wally Lamb, Ruffalo portrays identical twins, one of whom is a paranoid schizophrenic. The first trailer is below and, phew, it’s a doozy.
I was under the impression that I Know This Much Is True would be a film while watching the trailer. It was only at the end that I discovered it’s a limited series, meaning multiple episodes. I’m not going to lie, I’m not sure I can handle a whole lot of this intensity. The trailer is fantastic and the show looks spectacular but the trailer alone felt emotionally exhausting. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel after watching it week after week.
But, damn, this thing really does look good, doesn’t it? Ruffalo has been playing The Hulk for years now so I think that maybe some people forget that he’s an incredibly talented performer. The dude is an Oscar nominee for a reason. And the rest of the cast here, consisting of Melissa Leo, Kathryn Hahn, Imogen Poots and Rosie O’Donnell, also looks in top form. Plus the whole series is written and directed by Derek Cianfrance, best known for his critically-acclaimed dramas Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines. So this show is built for success, obviously.
I think I Know This Much Is True will be appointment television. Even though it’ll likely be a draining experience, I think I’m going to have to watch it when it debuts on April 27.
“Based on the 1998 bestselling novel by Wally Lamb, adapted and directed by Derek Cianfrance, this limited series follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers, played by Mark Ruffalo. A family saga, it tells a story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness set against the backdrop of 20th-century America.”