Mark Ruffalo and Mark Ruffalo star in I Know This Much is True, a new HBO limited series directed by Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines and Blue Valentine). Adapted from the book by Wally Lamb, the story follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers, both played by Ruffalo. The cast also includes Melissa Leo, Imogen Poots, Rosie O’Donnell, and Kathryn Hahn. Watch the I Know This Much is True trailer below.

I Know This Much is True Trailer

If you’ve ever wanted double the Ruffalo, you might want to check out I Know This Much is True, a new limited series arriving this April. Based on the book of the same name, the adaptation finds Ruffalo pulling double duty as “identical twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey in a family saga that follows their parallel lives in an epic story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness. The series shows Dominick and Thomas at different stages in their lives, beginning in their present with both brothers approaching middle-age, filled in with Dominick’s flashbacks to their young adulthood.”

That’s a mighty vague synopsis, so let’s see what synopsis was used for the book, shall we?

Dominick Birdsey, a forty-year-old housepainter living in Three Rivers, Connecticut, finds his subdued life greatly disturbed when his identical twin brother Thomas, a paranoid schizophrenic, commits a shocking act of self-mutilation. Dominick is forced to care for his brother as well as confront dark secrets and pain he has buried deep within himself—a journey of the soul that takes him beyond his blue-collar New England town to Sicily’s Mount Etna, the birthplace of his grandfather and namesake. Coming to terms with his life and lineage, Dominick struggles to find forgiveness and finally rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his troubled twin.

This all sounds promising. Ruffalo is a strong actor, and it’ll be interesting to see him play two roles. And I’m also glad to see Derek Cianfrance back behind the camera in some capacity.

In addition to Ruffalo, I Know This Much is True features Melissa Leo as Ma (Concettina Ipolita Tempesta Birdsey), mother of Dominick and Thomas; Rosie O’Donnell as Lisa Sheffer, a social worker for unit two at the Hatch Forensic Institute; Archie Panjabi as Dr. Patel, Thomas’ newly appointed psychologist; Imogen Poots as Joy Hanks, Dominick’s live-in girlfriend; John Procaccino as Ray Birdsey, Dominick and Thomas’ stepfather; Rob Huebel as Leo, Dominick’s best friend; Philip Ettinger as the young adult Dominick and Thomas Birdsey; Aisling Franciosi as young Dessa Constantine; Michael Greyeyes as Ralph Drinkwater, a former classmate from Dominick and Thomas’ youth whose life intersects once again with Dominick; Guillermo Diaz as Sergeant Mercado; Marcello Fonte as Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, Dominick and Thomas’ maternal grandfather from Sicily; Bruce Greenwood as Dr. Hume, head of the board at the Hatch Forensic Institute; Brian Goodman as Al, an older cop; Juliette Lewis as Nedra Frank, a self-absorbed grad student hired by Dominick; and Kathryn Hahn as Dessa Constantine, Dominick’s ex-wife.

I Know This Much is True premieres on April 27.

The post ‘I Know This Much Is True’ Trailer: It’s Double the Mark Ruffalo in the HBO Adaptation of the Best-Selling Book appeared first on /Film.