Marcos RuffaloMichael’s calendar has opened up a bit… because a conference he was supposed to speak at has canceled his appearance, and his support for Palestine seems to be key.
The actor was all set to speak at the MTMP – a conference for lawyers and their paralegals to discuss the ins and outs of class action lawsuits, etc. The conference will take place in early April, but now… it looks like Ruffalo has won. I won’t be there, because they’re cutting him from the lineup.
The event organizers sent an affirmation to attendees this week, saying that Mark was invited to speak at the conference after playing an environmental activist/lawyer in the film “Dark Waters” in 2019 – which touched on many of the things they already do in the real world. .. so they wanted him to appear and talk about the same topics.
Ruffalo – himself an environmental activist – was going to be a major guest at the conference, but the event said this was before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7… and more importantly, before Ruffalo’s public support for Palestine, especially at the Oscars .
Waiting for your permission to upload Instagram media.
ICYMI…Mark spoke to reporters at the Oscars and showed visible enthusiasm as he headed to a Palestinian protest that delayed it. He also wore a badge representing the Artists’ Call for Ceasefire Now… so yes, he was leaning into his pro-Palestinian stance.
It seems Ruffalo’s position is too controversial for the MTMP conference… because organizers say they didn’t want the event to be overshadowed by the war in the Middle East, and by Mark as well. Instead, they say they are canceling Ruffalo’s appearance — despite the possibility of losing the value of the talk in the process — and have asked attendees not to boycott the event.
Ruffalo has openly championed a number of causes over the years, and that hasn’t stopped since the Hamas surprise attack on October 7 or Israel’s subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip.
In November, Ruffalo called the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for referring to Palestinians in Gaza as “collateral damage” while sharing a petition to end “child bloodshed” in the region the previous month.
At first glance, it seems like not everyone who was planning on attending MTMP was happy with his recent comments… and it looks like it’s affecting his shows, including this one.
Ruffalo’s rep declined to comment.
