Ruffalo credits mom with career resurgence

New Hulk star Mark Ruffalo has credited his mother with convincing him to carry on as an actor after he was rejected at 600 auditions.

Despite winning plaudits from critics for his past screen roles in films such as Zodiac and The Kids Are All Right, mainstream success had eluded him.

However, that has all changed and he has now been thrust into the spotlight for his role as the green superhero in the upcoming summer blockbuster The Avengers, and Ruffalo has revealed he almost quit his acting dreams after countless rejections - until his mother stepped in.

Ruffalo tells U.K. chat show host Graham Norton, "I was like a 30 year over night sensation. It's been mythologised now, but it started with about 600 auditions without success. Most smart people would have quit when it takes that long... (but) I couldn't do anything else and my mom told me that if I tried to quit she would never speak to me again."