“He was really generous:” The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Ebon Moss-Bachrach reveals how Mark Ruffalo helped the actor with major issue

Fantastic Four: First Steps - CCXP Mexico - Source: Getty
Fantastic Four: First Steps - CCXP Mexico (Image via Getty)

After playing the hot-headed Cousin Richie of The Bear's Berzatto family, this year, Ebon Moss-Bachrach will be introduced in The Fantastic Four: First Steps as a part of Marvel's first family.

With this project, this Stan Lee and Jack Kirby comic series will be a part of the MCU's upcoming phase. It will finally bring Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, an astronaut who turns into a rocky humanoid after being exposed to cosmic radiation. However, the Thing is not the only rocky behemoth in Marvel comics.

Besides the Thing, there is the Hulk, who seems like a match for his physical strength and appearance. Mark Ruffalo played him in the MCU, and it's now Moss-Bachrach's time to portray a similarly giant man with a big heart. Yet, it might be easier said than done since he had to use motion capture for their roles, which was a major issue for him then. To find his way around this technique, he received advice from Ruffalo, who also used mo-cap while playing Hulk.

In July 2024, during the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, The Bear star opened up about Ruffalo's support and valuable input in playing the role. He said:

“I got a really nice, very long, thorough text from Mark Ruffalo. My character is performance capture, and I was a little anxious about that… Somehow, he got wind of my insecurity. He was really generous.”

Furthermore, during the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, he was also joined by his co-stars: Vanessa Kirby (who plays Sue Storm), Pedro Pascal (who plays Reed Richards), and Joseph Quinn (who plays Johnny Storm). However, this isn't the first time Moss-Bachrach spoke candidly about his work for this MCU role.


Ebon Moss-Bachrach on using motion capture in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Image via YouTube/Marvel)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Image via YouTube/Marvel)

It's only a matter of weeks before Ebon Moss-Bachrach graces the big screens as the MCU's The Thing. His casting was announced in February 2024, even before the third season of The Bear had dropped on Hulu. By then, the actor had already won plenty of accolades and a lot of hearts for his acclaimed performance.

Shortly after, he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show. At the time, he spoke about how his portrayal of The Thing would be different in The Fantastic Four: First Steps from the previous ones. He referred to Michael Chiklis, the star of the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four films, in which he played Ben Grimm.

Here's what Moss-Bachrach said during the show:

“In the past, I think they’ve done a suit. Michael Chiklis wore a suit that apparently was really uncomfortable, and it’s kind of… we’re past that, I think. It’s a little kind of cosplay, kind of amateur, that kind of stuff, now with the technology we have. I think it’s mostly performance capture.”

With Mark Ruffalo's elaborate input about acting in mo-cap, Moss-Bachrach might just give a version of The Thing that Marvel fans can be proud of. In the recent teaser of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, The Thing was seen sporting a rock beard. So, it will also be interesting to see how that is going to play out in the film.


The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be out in theaters on July 21, 2025.

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Edited by Ranjana Sarkar