The Powerful Meaning Behind Mark Ruffalo's Oscars Heart Gesture
Mark Ruffalo, who was nominated for Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role in the 2024 Oscars thanks to his part in Poor Things, lost out to Robert Downey Jr.’s Oppenheimer performance last night.
But it seems the star was there for more than just awards.
In a series of X (formerly Twitter) posts and on Instagram, the actor shared an image of him and Poor Things co-star Ramy Youssef crossing his index finger over his thumb so that the tips of both formed a heart shape.
“This symbol is meant to be a beautiful reminder,” he shared on Instagram.
1/ Tonight at the Oscars, I stand with #MyVoiceMyChoice, who are using this "finger heart" to champion the RIGHT TO CHOOSE.
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) March 11, 2024
In this major election year, women's rights are on the ballot across the world. So let's spread this symbol to get out the vote for ALL WOMEN! pic.twitter.com/yHL3jH1KR8
What does the symbol mean?
The gesture was used to support women’s reproductive rights, the actor says.
“Tonight at the Oscars, I stand with the women of my @myvoicemychoiceorg, who use this “finger heart” to champion the RIGHT TO CHOOSE,” he said on Instagram.
He added that European women have been sharing the gesture to “express love for women’s rights at the ballot box.”
“This symbol is meant to be a beautiful reminder that, like those 2 fingers, when we unite in solidarity across divides, we become the beating center of humanity’s heart. And voting is the lifeblood that keeps that heart strong,” Mark added.
The actor linked the issue to Poor Things
Mark connected the issue to the movie for which he was nominated.
“The issue of reproductive rights reminds me of Poor Things. To quote from the film: ‘It is your body, Bella Baxter. Yours to give freely.’ But the Far Right opposes this powerful message. In the US & EU alone, they’ve cut tens of millions of women from essential abortion rights,” he said.
“I wanted to play Bella because it felt like acceptance of what it is to be a woman, to be free, to be scared and brave,” Emma has previously said of her role in the movie.
“Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the heart symbol forms a ‘V’—for VOTE. Voting protects those the globally coordinated Far Right victimizes: women & children, democracy & our planet,” Mark ended his Instagram post.
“So, in 2024, let’s spread this symbol and use our votes to protect women & ALL LIFE!”