Mark Ruffalo’s Brain Tumor Dream: Spooky Premonition or Hollywood Mind Trick?
Added on January 18, 2026 inCelebrity News Cards
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Ever had a dream so vivid it practically shoved you out of bed and straight to the doctor? Mark Ruffalo did — and lo and behold, it saved his life. In this age where a simple headache can have us Googling our own epitaphs faster than Mercury can retrograde, Ruffalo’s uncanny premonition about a brain tumor behind his ear is a wild reminder: sometimes, the universe does send us a heads-up. During a chat on the SmartLess podcast, the Hulk himself recounted how, amid the chaos of impending fatherhood and Hollywood hustle, a “golf ball”-sized growth was quietly lurking—detected only after that almost psychic nudge. Sure, the surgery came with risks — hearing loss and a partial facial paralysis — but as Ruffalo put it, “Take my hearing, let me keep the face, and just let me be the father of this kid.” Could it be that under today’s starry skies, intuition is our best doc? Maybe we should all listen a bit closer to those midnight whispers… LEARN MORE.
Mark Ruffalo revealed he was diagnosed with a brain tumour after having a dream which warned him to go to the doctor.
In a world ridden with health anxiety, it’s not unheard of for people to worry themselves into thinking that a headache means you’re moments away from death. After all, doctor Google often returns the worst case scenario whenever you search up your symptoms.
However, for Poor Things star Mark Ruffalo, a hunch that all was not well with his body turned out to be very true.
During a conversation with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett on their SmartLess podcast, the 58-year-old recalled his experience being diagnosed with a tumour behind his left ear back in while working on The Last Castle in 2001.
Mark Ruffalo revealed he dreamt about a brain tumour before being diagnosed with one (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI)
Recalling the fateful premonition, Ruffalo said: “I just had this crazy dream. It wasn’t like any other dream I’d had. It was just like ‘You have a brain tumour.’
“It wasn’t even a voice, it was just pure knowledge: ‘You have a brain tumour, and you have to deal with it immediately’,” he added.
The actor went on to explain that he hadn’t experienced any other symptoms, other than an earache, prior to his worrying dreams, but decided to get himself checked out by a medical professional nonetheless.
Ruffalo explained his experienced to an on-set doctor who sent him for a CT scan which revealed a mass the size of a ‘golf ball’ growing behind his left ear.
Unable to confirm the cause of the growth, Ruffalo was referred for a biopsy to determine whether or not the tumour was benign or malignant.
The health scare came at an unfortunate time for the actor, as his wife was just days away from giving birth, leading him to wait until his son was born before breaking the worrying news.
Despite his wife’s fears, the tumour turned out to be benign and was removed (Michael Buckner/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Fortunately for Ruffalo, the tumour turned out to be benign and he was able to have the growth removed.
The surgery wasn’t without complications, with Ruffalo explaining: “They said they had a 20 percent chance of nicking a nerve on the left side of my face and killing it, and then I had 70 percent chance of losing my hearing.”
He would ultimately lose hearing his left hear and temporarily suffer from partial facial paralysis, however this was all worth it for the Hulk actor.
Recalling his thoughts after hearing the potential risks, he added: “Take my hearing, let me keep the face, and just let me be the father of this kid.”
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