L'Italo-Americano

o f d i s e a s e . T o t h i n k t h a t empathy in some way is a sociological issue is so anti- thetical to the human experi- ence. This show argues the opposite. W h a t i n t e r e s t s y o u most about what comes next for Tom? I'm interested in how you move forward. If we're really reflecting the world we're liv- ing in now, there's the ques- tion of ICE, of being an FBI agent in Philadelphia and what it means today to pro- tect and serve. How do we, as law enforcement, interface with immigrant communi- ties, communities many of us c o m e f r o m a n d s h o u l d understand on a very person- al level? The real question is whether we're willing to go on that journey honestly. What is a good real life l e s s o n y o u r c h a r a c t e r experienced? There's a quote I love from t h e p o e t R u m i : t h e l i g h t e n t e r s y o u t h r o u g h t h e wound. Loss and grief bring you to your knees. And when you're on your knees, it's very hard to look down on any- one. Grief softens him. It opens his heart. Suddenly the hardness of the law doesn't carry the same meaning. In that grief, there's a chance to grow. The show touches on masculinity, guilt, loyal- that emotional space for that long was heavy. But I think people are craving catharsis. This show has heart. Honest- ly, Task is everything I've learned about life, the hard way. You're working oppo- site such a strong ensem- ble. How do you work in a group? I t ' s s u c h a n i n c r e d i b l e ensemble. Some actors don't need other actors – they're amazing on their own – but that's not how I am. Whatev- er happens in the playing between two people is where the magic happens. As heavy as the show was, we laughed so much. People felt free, people felt safe. Those are the things that really make an ensemble work. What is your charac- ter's main arc about? Tom's arc is ultimately about forgiveness. But for- giveness is a journey, and you can't really have it without empathy. A friend of mine once said something that stayed with me: there's no excuses, but there's reasons. The law is black and white, but people aren't. There are consequences but there are also reasons. And that empa- thy is not a weakness, it's a gift. Right now in the United S t a t e s , t h e r e ' s l i t e r a l l y a movement against the idea of empathy, as if it's some kind ty, and redemption. How do you see those ideas e v o l v i n g o n s c r e e n today? Those rigid models are breaking apart. We're seeing flawed fathers, men who are struggling, fumbling, but deeply loving. There really is no norm. We're not simple people, we're surprising. And television is finally starting to reflect that more honestly. If Task were distilled into one moral question your character is forced to confront, what would it be? What is the function of true faith in society, outside of virtue signaling or being performative? What does it really look like? And faith i s n ' t j u s t a b o u t G o d . I t ' s about empathy, compassion, forgiveness, and how we rely on each other as humanity. How do you approach forgiveness in a non-sec- ular or faith-based con- text? I grew up in a house with Christianity, Catholicism, and the Bahá'í Faith all under o n e r o o f a n d n o t a l w a y s peacefully, but I was steeped i n t h e m a l l , i t w a s v e r y important for everybody that we were steeped them. But what I learned is that the e s s e n t i a l t r u t h s w e r e t h e same: compassion, forgive- ness, caring for those less for- tunate. To forgive someone is another kind of faith, the faith in the redemptive quali- ty of humanity and in our ability to grow past pain and revenge. The world right now is driven by revenge. Drop- ping your ego and forgiving is incredibly hard, but that's the journey my character makes. After exploring guilt, loss, and redemption, what did Task leave you thinking about when it comes to the choices that define a life? Family. How we do family. And how people will think of u s w h e n w e ' r e n o l o n g e r here, how we treated them. Were you respectful? Did you apologize when you over- stepped? Did you allow them the space to be messy, imper- fect, even lousy, human? I think that's the journey that matters. family, faith, and resilience w e r e e v e r - p r e s e n t , e v e n w h e n i m p e r f e c t l y l i v e d . Those themes are present throughout Task, a series l e s s i n t e r e s t e d i n e a s y answers than in moral strug- gle. Created by Mare of East- town's Brad Ingelsby, Task unfolds as both a procedural and a meditation on faith, justice, and empathy in a fractured America. Ruffalo plays Tom Brandis, an FBI a g e n t i n P h i l a d e l p h i a ' s Delaware County, known locally as Delco, a man carry- ing a lifetime of grief: a for- mer priest, an alcoholic in recovery, and a widower still reckoning with loss. M a r k y o u w e r e a l s o the executive producer, how involved were you in shaping the show? F o r m e , p r o d u c i n g i s always about asking, what does this need from me? And most of the time, it's about protecting it and shepherd- ing it so my role wasn't about control. I was there to make sure people felt taken care of and that the vision was hon- ored all the way through. I was basically the cheerleader for the cast and crew. W h a t d i d T a s k d e m a n d o f y o u a s a n actor? I t w a s h a r d e r t h a n I thought it would be. Living in M ark Ruffa- lo has built a career on complexity. A m o v i e star who resists grandstand- i n g , a M a r v e l s u p e r h e r o equally at home in intimate, b r u i s i n g d r a m a s , a n d a n actor whose performances often feel less like declara- tions than acts of listening. In HBO's Task, Ruffalo chan- nels that instinct into one of h i s m o s t r e s t r a i n e d a n d m o r a l l y c o m p l e x r o l e s t o date. A role that lead him to achieve his second golden globe nomination (he won his first one in 2020 for his double role in the limited series I Know This Much Is True) as Best Male Actor in a Television Drama. Mark Ruffalo was born in K e n o s h a , W i s c o n s i n o n N o v e m b e r 2 2 , 1 9 6 7 . H i s father, Frank Lawrence Ruf- falo Jr., was a construction painter of Italian descent – his family comes from Giri- falco in Calabria (province of C a t a n z a r o ) . H i s m o t h e r , Marie Rose (Hébert), was of French-Canadian and Italian ancestry as well. Both sides of his family therefore have Ital- ian roots and that Calabrian heritage is a part of his iden- tity. Ruffalo has spoken in the past about feeling "very much at home" in Italy, dur- ing appearances at Italian events like the Giffoni Film Festival and visits where he referenced his lineage. Italian food and family traditions from his Calabrian roots, like the cooking of his nonna, h a v e b e e n h i g h l i g h t e d a s meaningful to him, used as touchstones of his cultural identity. For Ruffalo, whose career spans blockbuster franchises like The Avengers, to literary adaptations like All the Light We Cannot See, Task repre- sents another turn toward deeply human storytelling. It also aligns with a sensibility shaped, in part, by his Ital- ian-American roots. Ruffalo h a s i n f a c t o f t e n s p o k e n about growing up in a work- ing-class household where Ruffalo in a scene of "Task" (Photo: Peter Kramer/HBO) Italian-American actor Mark Ruffalo nominated for his second Golden Globe SILVIA NITTOLI THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS

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