Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo recounted a dramatic incident involving his colleague Woody Harrelson during the filming of the heist thriller Now You See Me in New Orleans.
The 57-year-old actor shared how he had to step in to protect his friend from escalating violence. During a discussion on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, alongside Harrelson and his former Cheers co-star Ted Danson, Mark reminisced about their time shooting in the vibrant streets of New Orleans.
A Wild Experience in New Orleans
“We were shooting Now You See Me completely on the streets. Totally wild,” Ruffalo recalled. “Capturing stuff on a long lens, getting dragged into bars during the middle of a scene, like in the middle of Mardi Gras… It was a packed place.”
In a surprising turn, a woman approached Harrelson, expressing her admiration. “She said, ‘Oh my God, I love you so much.’ Woody put his hand on her arm and said, ‘Oh, thank you. Thank you, darling.’ Then this guy came over, pushed her out of the way, and shoved Woody,” Ruffalo detailed.
Danson reacted visibly, noting, “Oh, bad bad. Not good.”
Intervention During Chaos
Ruffalo continued, “Because Woody’s first response is not ‘shove someone back,’ but ‘immediately punch them in the face.’” Despite acknowledging that Woody’s reaction was justified, he felt compelled to intervene, recalling, “A whole melee broke out in this bar. I was in the middle of it, and it was getting to become a whole thing… And I grabbed you.”
Harrelson confirmed, “That’s right.”
Mark explained further, “I pulled you out. I was like, ‘This could be fun, but it also could go so disastrously wrong because you and I might be able to handle ourselves, but the rest of the folks we were with… I don’t think so.’”
Danson expressed admiration for Ruffalo’s prompt response, admitting, “I’m embarrassed to say that I would’ve been the guy who said ‘I’ll be right back, I’ll call someone.’”









