MARISA TOMEI
Spiderman’s sexy aunt
A Well, at first when I was asked to do it, I didn’t know who
Aunt May was. But I knew that it didn’t sound good for me to be playing an aunt. It seemed like the right thing to do after I understood what they were going for.
A I wanted her to be funny, too, because I thought that was one of the things I could offer without wringing my hands or trying to be cute.
A She’s really maternal with Peter. She has to be. And she’s more dimensional than you usually see. I think there is a sense of her having her own life even though you don’t really see it.
A The fullness of her influence on his values is real. She gives him a bigger context in how he sees life, which explains why he wants to take care of the neighbourhood and is invested in doing the right thing.
A He’s a natural — not only as an actor, but he’s got great range and great composure. For somebody so young, he really understands the dynamic of being on the set and the business side of things. Sometimes, he seemed more seasoned than me.
A Not at all. It’s what’s happening. It’s great to be a part of what’s going on culturally right now. It’s one aspect of what I do, but it’s really great to be part of this.
Q Did you feel in safe hands with director Jon Watts?
A I really trusted him. Every time I came to him with something or I needed something ..., he was right there for me. And I always felt his instincts were great.
A lot of times with a smaller role you can be dismissed. But Jon never once made me feel disrespected or not valued.
A Oh yeah. I think it will be, not next summer, but the next year after that.
A I was told by a super fan that (Aunt May) makes an appearance in the Ant-Man comics and she’s called Aunt Ant. So maybe there’s hope for me. A We wrapped in May. It was nice long run.
It ’s quite a thrill for me to be on stage and relate to an audience every day. A Yes, I did two plays and shot Spider-Man within the framework of a year.
That was really great, especially to have that kind of diversity, and the financial security, to do the two (plays) so close together.
A You just keep dancing and hope that you get asked to another dance.
It’s a wonderful feeling to cross into a mature phase, and still be involved and excited and invigorated by what we do.