Over the past six years, Marisa Tomei has become one of the favorite faces of the MCU after stepping into the shoes of May, the aunt of Tom Holland's Peter Parker. And although her role brought her even greater recognition, the truth is that the actress regrets having taken it.
In 2016, everyone was surprised to see Marisa Tomei as the beloved Aunt May in Captain America: Civil War. Without a doubt, the casting choice fell unexpectedly, as Spider-Man fans had been used to seeing larger women in the role. Rosemary Harris was in charge of playing her in the Tobey Maguire trilogy, while in the Andrew Garfield films, Sally Field was chosen.
When Marvel announced that the story of Spider-Man would be rebooted by Tom Holland, it was also expressed that this new version would be a facelift for the character. And so it was, because Spider-Man: Homecoming presented us with a youthful Peter Parker, different from the versions that everyone knew. And Tom Holland's was not the only 'fresh' version, as Marisa Tomei put herself in the shoes of her young aunt May.
Even so, fans were very satisfied with the choice, since her character fit Holland's version. Thus, the 57-year-old actress returned to the role in 2019, where she was part of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Later, in 2021, she had her final appearance as Aunt May in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as her character died in Peter's arms after an explosion generated by the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe).
The truth is that before becoming part of the MCU, Marisa Tomei's career was already relevant. She has participated in important films, one of them being My Cousin Vinny, for which she won the Oscar Award for Best Supporting Actress. Still, it cannot be denied that the Spider-Man trilogy opened the doors to total success.
And although it is currently the actress's best-known and most popular role, it seems that Marisa Tomei is not convinced of it, and she has expressed regret about her role. As she revealed in an interview, the interpreter regrets having accepted a role that placed her as a “maternal figure,” because she fears being stuck in that type of character.
“I really regret having gone that route. I was convinced to do it, not these specific roles, but that change, and I always think that I could play a lot of things. Honestly, putting myself in the role of mother is more a part of my career than anything else, but yes, I said it there.” she revealed.
It should be noted that Aunt May is not the only maternal role that the actress has had. Although her character consumed about six years of her career, the actress also played the mother of Pete Davidson's character in The King of Staten Island in 2020.
For the moment, and after her departure from Marvel, Marisa Tomei's career can take the turn she wants. Her most recent work was in the film Delia's Gone, and although there are no known new projects that she has on the horizon, it is very likely that we will see her on the screen very soon.
