Mark Ruffalo is going places. Having received Oscar and BAFTA nominations for The Kids Are All Right , he’s also landed a starring role in Joss Whedon’s epic comic adap The Avengers .



Total Film caught up with the indie favourite to find out why he’s so awesome – and just how excited he is for The Avengers.



First, though, we have to congratulate him on those Kids award nominations. “Thanks. It means a lot,” Ruffalo smiles, ever the gent. “And with this film, I read it and I really got a kick out of it.



“I laughed a lot and I thought it captured something that was really honest about a family. It is a slightly different kind of family.



“I decided it captured something about people in a long relationship, with kids that are leaving and fighting for their independence as they become teenagers. And I just thought the part of Paul was a fun ride to take a stab at.”



Ruffalo’s role in The Avengers is the complete antithesis to Paul, as he takes on the iconic part of Dr Bruce Banner aka The Hulk.



But Ruffalo reveals that any future stand-alone Hulk films would entirely depend on the success of The Avengers . “They sort of set up several pictures at once, but a lot is riding on this first one,” he says.



“There will probably be a couple more Avengers movies, which would be fun to do. I don’t know if they will ever do another Hulk . How old is The Hulk meant to be? Six years from now I will be in my 50s!”



How about getting behind the camera on something as big as The Avengers ? “I like where the genre has gone, especially with Robert Downey,” Ruffalo admits. “There’s definitely a shift and when you look at people like Robert in Iron Man , he adds such humanity to it and I am interested in that.



“I’d like a thriller like a Shining , or Rosemary’s Baby , which has all of the hallmarks of great acting and great character cinema, but also it delivers on the thrill and the excitement.



“I see the comic book genre moving that way. I think it will be cool to try my hand at something like that eventually. They are giving movies to first-time directors who are making that kind of movie and I know I have something to offer.”



The Kids Are All Right is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.