I started to gain a lot of support as the festival went on, but when I won the award, a critic came up to me: "So, you have a problem being criticized?" I said, "No, I have a problem with someone being overtly mean. I would like to make another film one day, honestly, and that hurts my chances of doing that. And I also care deeply about it. It's like a child to me."
He said, "Don't you think because you're Mark Ruffalo, you'll be able to make a film any time you want? Isn't that why you go to make your film?" It took me ten years to make that film. No one wanted to make that film. It was a labor of love.
And then I realized, oh s**t, there is a schadenfreude aspect to this. I was taking it at face value at first, but maybe it rubs some of these people the wrong way. Why should I get to film? Because I'm an actor? There was a bit of that going on. I'm fine with it. I try not to rely too much on reviews anymore. That can be a heartbreaking road.