Interview By: Rocco Passafuime
RoccoPassafuime@TheCinemaSource.com
Marisa Tomei has claimed an indelible place as one of Hollywood's most beautiful and talented actresses. After making early notices on television in the 1980's on the soap opera As The World Turns and the sitcom A Different World, Tomei made her breakthrough in the comedy My Cousin Vinny, which she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for in 1992.
Subsequently, Tomei's garnered notice for her performances in films like Unhook The Stars and The Slums of Beverly Hills, and received a second Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in 2001 for In The Bedroom. She's also had a substantial career in theater with lead roles in the Broadway productions of Wait Until Dark and Salom', as well as performing in numerous off-Broadway productions.
However, despite her low-profile status in the general media, Marisa has also been noteworthy in the Hollywood mainstream for her guest appearance as herself on the hugely popular 1990's sitcom Seinfeld, as well as in comedies like Anger Management and What Women Want. Her latest Hollywood film is the comedy Wild Hogs.
Tomei plays Maggie, a woman the middle-aged Wild Hogs meet along the way, who becomes attracted to the shy and nerdy Dudley, played by William H. Macy.
'I'd venture to say it's really love at first sight for Dudley,' she notes, 'But for Maggie, who's seen a lot of guys pass through town, it takes, you know, that spin on the dance floor to convince her that Dudley might be the man for her! Bill is just so adorable in this character.'
She also adds that she did her best to make the most of her smaller and less comedic role in the film.
'Maggie is written in a more straight manner,' Tomei notes, 'So I was always trying to find my little corner of funny and ride that line between the romantic and the comic.'
Marisa remarks that she felt little intimidation sharing the screen with the talented, but predominantly male cast of Macy, Tim Allen, John Travolta, and Martin Lawrence.
'I couldn't be happier being the only girl amidst these four male leads,' the actress gushes, 'Everyone took good care of me, and they're all hilarious.'
She also adds that she had as much fun watching the film's four talented male stars perform together, as she did acting alongside them.
'Mostly, I loved hearing what the guys were coming up with off the top of their heads,' Tomei recollects, 'They all have such strong takes on comedy, and watching the four of them work with one another's rhythms and give each other the space to do their thing was wonderful.'
Marisa also shared the other exciting endeavors she has lined up to be released in theatres this year. One is a drama film directed by Sidney Lumet titled Before the Devil Knows You're Dead which she stars in alongside Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Also, in the running is a political satire film written by and starring John Cusack called Brand Hauser.
