Page 18 - My FlipBook 1

The big question I had going into this interview with Tomei, after a mara-
thon quarantine screening of the majority of her films, was: Is she as nurtur-
ing as the characters she plays? Mona Lisa Vito, Cassidy in The Wrestler, Aunt
May in Spider-Man: Homecoming—these are all the kinds of people you’d want
in your life as lifters of broken spirits, wells of empathy. Without even asking
it, I had my answer.
The King of Staten Island, which Universal has decided to release to video on
demand on June 12, is classic Apatow—a comedy with fun, raucous improv
energy layered with heart. It is very much about what can happen to the sta-
bility of individuals within a family after a tragedy of incredible magnitude. It’s
about wanting to move on but not being able to when a loved one is taken away
from you, and your friends, the government, and the universe can’t offer any
real closure. Pete’s character, Scott, still lives with his mom and can’t seem to
realize any of his dreams. Margie hasn’t been able to have a romantic relation-
ship for more than a decade. But change happens. Scott gets kicked out of the
house; his mom starts dating; hilarity (and much personal growth!) ensues.
That Tomei would choose to be in a comedy that’s filled with smart tender-
ness is no surprise. She is a kind of avatar of integrity. She could have easily
taken a more superficial route in a career that spans more than sixty films, but
she didn’t. Her acting has remained thoroughly superb, and her taste in mov-
ies has skewed buoyantly indie, no matter the budget—that even includes
Spider-Man: Homecoming. “I’m a ham if nothing else,” she says of her taste in
roles. “We want things to be entertaining. But is it something that’s worth talking
about? Is there some kind of dialogue around it that’s worth thinking about?
That’s what’s kept me there.” She even has a pretty existential take on how The
THE SHORT STORIES ROYAL FAMILY QUEEN OF HEARTS Over a three-decade career, Marisa Tomei has continually transformed the role of the carefree
King of Staten Island may be read in the context of our current crisis.
“I feel like what Pete goes through as a character and as a person in real life

yet complex sidekick. This summer she does it again in Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island. by KEVIN SINTUMUANG

is a lot of pain and struggle dealing with the loss of 9/11. Trying to understand
NEW YORK IS ON MARISA TOMEI’S MIND. ¶ YES, SHE IS ONE OF
the quintessential Actors from NYC™ who are, for better or worse,
how the world works. A generational thing of not quite feeling at home in the
inseparable from the charming grit of the town that helped shape
world. The challenge of growing up in a world that’s geared not to people but
to corporations. There’s not a coherence to that for a lot of younger people. And
them: Jennifer Lopez, Steve Buscemi, Rosie Perez, Robert De Niro,
it’s all been laid bare now during this crisis. It’s all under the black light.” She
Joe Pesci—with whom she starred in the 1992 comedy classic My
Cousin Vinny, winning herself an Oscar for her portrayal of Mona
Tomei does not shy away from politics and social justice. She spoke at Pres-
Lisa Vito. She’s at home in L. A. but just wrapped up starring in
Tennessee Williams’s The Rose Tattoo on Broadway before the pan-
ident Obama’s inauguration concert in 2009, publicly supported Christine Bla-
sey Ford, and is very involved in Time’s Up, the Hollywood organization that
demic struck. And she can’t stop thinking about the people at the sweeps her hand dramatically in front of her. “And you can see all of it.”
epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U. S. raises awareness about workplace
She is thinking of her parents, who live in downtown Manhat- inequality for women. She tells me RULE NO. 288
tan. Her aunts and uncles and cousins. She’s even thinking of me. about the significance of finally get- UNDER NO SCENARIO DOES
AN ITALIAN AMERICAN
“I’m glad you’re safe. It must be hard to write now,” she says when ting together with other actresses at
ENJOY YOUR FAKE ITALIAN-
I tell her I’m sheltering in place with my wife and daughters, not Time’s Up meetings. “Usually you’re
AMERICAN ACCENT. SAME
too far from the Brooklyn neighborhood where she grew up. But the only one on the set. You’re ‘the GOES FOR NEW YORKERS.
mostly, in this conversation we’re having over Zoom about her girl,’ in quotes. So these gatherings
role in the film The King of Staten Island, she is thinking of Amy really fostered a sense of sisterhood—and intergenerational sisterhood.”
Davidson, a nurse and the mother of Pete Davidson. Tomei plays I mention how a lot of her roles lately have been matriarchal figures. Does she
Margie, a character based on Amy, in the new Judd Apatow com- wish there were more parts for women her age in Hollywood? “Clearly,” she says.
edy about a mom and her man-boy son (it’s loosely based on Pete’s So was she happy with the role of Aunt May in the Marvel franchise?
pre-SNL years) who are still trying to move forward, years after “I was behind the curve understanding that this is where the movie indus-
their husband/father died fighting a fire. try was going, and luckily I had people advise me . . . who pushed me to do it.
“I think about how much Amy gives and how my character gives And I got lucky because I love [director] Jon Watts. But I think a lot more could
in the movie. Pete’s dad was a firefighter on 9/11. And after that, have been done with the Aunt May character and what I was promised at the
the firefighters were not treated well by the government’s admin- same time. She is his surrogate mom, right? And she has a lot of wisdom, she
istration. I’m just noticing what’s happening in the world now, is his guide, but she doesn’t seem quite to be his guide, you know?”
and hopefully these people that we know are essential aren’t going She tells me she would love to portray more important women in history,
to be treated that way after this.” the pioneering Italian actress Eleonora Duse in particular. I wouldn’t mind see-
ing an Aunt May spin-off in the meantime, I tell her.
She laughs. “I don’t believe you! I don’t think that’s in the cards.” She deliv-
ers that last part in a hammy Brooklyn accent.
“Oh, I loved them. They’re great films. Besides,” she adds, “girls like them
now!”
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