Typecasting is a prevalent issue in the entertainment industry that not even the best of them can avoid. Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei knows this all too well. With a variety of roles under her name, she has unfortunately fallen prey to the claws of the typecasting nightmare and as it turns out, she too regrets it all.
Those who have been closely following the actress’ work can vouch for the fact that Hollywood has unfairly boxed her into playing the “mom role” that just cannot seem to leave her alone. From Aunt May to Pete Davidson’s mother in The King of Staten Island, Marisa Tomei really regrets going down the road.
Marisa Tomei on Getting Typecasted as the Mom
Back in 2009, Tomei was ranked as the 18th sexiest woman on FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women list. It has been a long journey from there to being boxed into the “mom role.”
When Marisa Tomei walked into the frame as the beloved Aunt May in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the audience collectively gasped and our stomachs did a little backflip. Come on, have you seen the woman?
Just before saying goodbye to the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans saw her play the role of Pete Davidson’s mother in The King of Staten Island (2020). Discussing the film with Collider, Tomei was asked if the typecasting ever turned into a concern for her.
Tomei rightfully believes that she can play a wide range of roles on screen which really makes her regret going down the mom route sometimes.
I really regret starting down this road and I really regret starting to do that. I was, you know, talked into it – not this, but I mean just that change – and I really always felt like, ‘Oh, I could play a lot of things.’ Honestly, it’s probably more of a stretch than other things. [Laughs] But, it’s – yeah, I guess I said it all.
She stated that every actor (especially one as phenomenal as her) has many dimensions to them which unfairly get overlooked thanks to narrow writing and typecasting.
I think every actor and actress has a lot of dimensions to them and if the scope of what is being written and being made is narrow, and you want to keep working, you do what you can. I mean, I do. I tried it. It was maybe not the right road, but you know, I do try to make the most of it.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing a mother on screen. However, things tend to get a bit questionable when an actor gets pulled into the same roles over and over again. Perhaps things will change when top-quality entertainers like Tomei continue to speak up against this injustice.
Marisa Tomei’s Dream Roles
There is no denying that Tomei can pull off any character thrown at her. While her talents may have been restrained by the chains of typecasting, she too dreams of playing characters that will bring a refreshing versatility to her portfolio.
So, what are these roles that the High Tide actress would want to do? For starters, she would love to play a femme fatale or be a part of a noir film. Even romantic comedies are right up her alley. All she’s saying is that as a woman in the industry, there are so many paths she can take. The possibilities are endless.
She told Collider’s Perri Nemiroff,
I mean, even genres that I would love to be in, you know? The femme fatale, and in a noir. I still think there are other aspects of even romantic comedies. I really love them, but you know really at a screwball level. There’s so many, many – the breadth of as much as women are, there’s so many roles.
Whatever Tomei decides to do next, she best believes that we will be SEATED. She was last seen in Max Barbakow’s Brothers where she played the role of Bethesda Waingro, a quirky prison correspondent.
The King of Staten Island is available to rent/buy on Prime Video.
