Mark Ruffalo Reflects on His Bartender Days

Before Mark Ruffalo became a household name as the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he had a very different job—working as a bartender. Like many aspiring actors, Ruffalo took on various jobs to make ends meet while chasing his dreams. One of his unforgettable experiences from that time involved a demanding customer, a flaming drink, and an unexpected fiery mishap.

Ruffalo wasn’t always a superhero. Long before he joined the MCU, he was living the bartender life. Ruffalo has fondly recounted his bartending days, filled with both fun and challenging moments. One of the most amusing and unforgettable experiences he had was when he accidentally set a customer’s face on fire.

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During an interview on ‘The Graham Norton Show,’ he shared his own signature drink, the “Markarita.” The Markarita is a unique twist on the classic margarita. “I gave away a lot of drinks,” Ruffalo joked. Although giving free drinks might not have made him the best bartender in the business, it certainly made him popular among his patrons.

“I had the Markarita. A margarita, but I ended up having to start early, and I had my Thursday night crowd.” He admitted that he had to deal with a lot of drunk people, and sometimes they were not very nice. There would be nights when he would be up to his eyeballs in difficult customers. One night, Ruffalo had to deal with a particularly obnoxious customer who demanded a sambuca.

Despite Ruffalo’s reluctance to serve more drinks to the already inebriated man, the customer insisted. The man then demanded Ruffalo light the drink on fire. At first, Ruffalo refused, but the customer kept yelling, so he finally agreed.

“I light the drink, he takes it and it goes all over his face, dripping down, blue flames everywhere. I’m trying not to laugh, and he beats the hell out of himself trying to get it out.” Surprisingly, the customer then asked for another drink, still wanting it lit. Fortunately, the second time did not result in another fiery mishap.