Actor of the Week: Marisa Tomei
It’s Actor of the Week time again, and this week we have a great actress who seems to go quite under the radar, considering both the films she has been in and the actors she has worked alongside; the one and only Marisa Tomei. Born 4th December 1964, Tomei is an incredible actress and an obvious choice for our Actor of the Week segment.
Tomei is certainly in the limelight at the moment, due to her portrayal of Aunt May in the latest Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: Homecoming. This is the third portrayal of Aunt May, but I do think Tomei was a perfect casting for this character, as I have never quite understood why Peter’s Aunt looked like his Gran.
Believe it or not, Marisa Tomei has been acting since the early 80’s, but her career really started to blossom in the 90’s, starring in films alongside the likes of Nicolas Cage in Zandalee, and Christian Slater in Untamed Heart. Her standout performance came with her Oscar-winning role in My Cousin Vinny, where she plays Mona Lisa Vito, the fiancée of lead character Vincent LaGuardia Gambini, played by Joe Pesci. Vincent is a lawyer who is appointed to defend his cousin in a murder case, a case which Vincent is severely under qualified for. An absolutely brilliant film, and a well deserved win for Tomei.
It seemed that in the early stages of her career she focused on more of the romantic-themed films, with her starring in Happy Accident and then joining Mel Gibson in What Women Want, where Gibson’s character, Nick Marshall, get’s the ability to read women’s minds. This preceded her 2nd Oscar Nomination for In The Bedroom, where Tomei played Natalie Strout, a woman who falls in love with a college graduate, much younger than herself, and the boy get’s tangled in Strout’s history, leading to tragic circumstances.
The actors Tomei has worked alongside are incredible, with a list of acting legends as long as your arm, but one of her most successful roles was alongside Mickey Rourke in 2008’s The Wrestler. The Wrestler is a very raw film with Rourke’s character, Randy Robinson, an aged wrestler struggling to cope with life, finding himself befriend a stripper played by Tomei, who provides a the perfect tonic to his struggles, and aids with Robinson’s broken relationship with his daughter. Not only is this a film in which Tomei puts in another brilliant performance, it really highlighted Rourke’s acting ability. Tomei was nominated for an Oscar for her part in this film - the 3rd well-deserved Oscar nomination of her career.
Tomei has certainly not slowed down in her career, starring in films such as The Lincoln Lawyer, which featured Matthew McConaughey, as well as joining Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell in Crazy Stupid Love, both films I haved enjoyed a lot.
As stated above, Tomei has recently landed the role of Aunt May, a character in the Spider-Man universe, which is another highlight in the already well-accomplished actress’career, with Spider-Man: Homecoming being a part of the biggest movie franchise ever, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marisa Tomei is a phenomenal actress, and one I could write about forever, considering the longevity of her career, the amount of films she has been in, and the amount of legendary actors she has worked alongside, but these are all accomplishments she has earned by being outright brilliant. Tomei is certainly enjoying life!!
