| Marisa Tomei Makes Sure We Know She's There In Sidney Lumet's Latest |
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| Written by Brad Balfour | |
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 Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"   Tomei had a great time paying her character Gina in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" because she feels that playing the good girl is alot harder than being bad As the under-appreciated wife and adulterer, GinaTomei did a scene that really made her memorable in the film—a really hot, unvarnished sex scene with her husband Andy (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman), who goes on to commit a heist that goes terribly wrong. Born on December 4, 1964, Tomei eliminated her heavy Brooklyn accent but never forgot her roots. Her breakthrough came in 1992 when she co-starred in "My Cousin Vinny," as Joe Pesci's loud-mouthed but sweet New York girlfriend--a performance that won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. From there she went on to her first starring role, in "Untamed Heart." Fortunately for Tomei, a solid performance as a troubled single mother in Nick Cassavetes' "Unhook the Stars" earned her a Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actress nom. Then after some strong work in "Welcome to Sarajevo" and in "Slums of Beverly Hills," she proved her first Best Supporting Actress Oscar win was no fluke--she received her second nod for her performance in the critically acclaimed dark drama, "In the Bedroom." Q: Was that you in the opening scene--with all the sex--because I know a lot of actors use body doubles. Marisa Tomei: No, no no, that was me. I practice [laughs]. Q: You've been friends with Ethan [Hawke] [who plays Andy's brother Hank] for a long time. How was it to do that love scene with him [Gina is having an affair with Hank so there is a sex scene with each actor]? MT: We go back, but we didn't really know each other that well. We never played in anything together, so it was like the moment was overdue actually. So I was looking forward to that. He's so easy to be around. I think he plays that character so well--the younger brother of someone who never really found his own way and means well, but only buys into this thing. In his relationship to my character, he just adores her and thinks she's so great, and his brother pre-approved her. To play the scenes with him were very easy, because he's Ethan Hawke and he's adoring me, so what could be wrong? Q: How was the rehearsals? MT: The rehearsal period was great. But it was a little tough for me, because I was doing 'Wild Hogs' at the same time, if you can believe it, and I had to go back and forth like three times during the two week period. It was really draining, and I never really felt like I got in the groove. That's why it was great that Sidney [Lumet] had such a clear vision in the first place, because I felt like I was completely at sea. I wasn't counting on that happening. The timing just shifted so I was going there and putting on a cowboy hat and acting like a silly girl in this huge comedy. Then when I got over there, I was getting into this gritty world. Ultimately, I just had to go on instinct and she's kind of aimless, so it worked for me. Q: Have you ever worked with Philip [Seymour Hoffman] before? MT: No, we had never worked together before. We had known each other from places like New York, but we had never worked together. Q: How was it working with everyone to develop your character? MT: Sidney had a vision of how he wanted my character to be, and he had some pretty detailed history he had written out before we started shooting. I always thought she was kind of a dingbat, and I still think she's really aimless. She feels anger and is disgusted with the man in her life. I don't think she's getting enough of what she wants at that moment. I don't even think it's a positive kind of anger, but that was definitely something that Sidney crafted from how he was seeing her and how he wanted her to play in the mix of the bleakness of the men. I happened to be at CAA [the talent agency,] and we were doing some sort of reading. My agent pulled me aside and said, "I just have something to tell you." And I thought I was in trouble. I always get that feeling when somebody says that. But he told me, "Sidney Lumet just called and he wants you to do his film." I was just over the moon, and so so so excited. It was just one of those, "Thank You God!" moments. I didn't play hard to get at all. Q: So did you develop some kind of back story for her? MT: I don't think she knew everything that was going on. I don't think she could have thought that through. I think she might have thought something was odd or funky. But I adjusted the back story to what Sidney was talking about. Q:Was there anything in the script that made you nervous? MT: No, I felt like I was fulfilling my goal. I always wanted to be a trophy wife. Such a funny life to peep into [laughs]. "Oh, really, trophy wife?" It's a detriment to her own life's path that she's not really self-reflective or latched onto something that has a lot of meaning to her. But it was also interesting to have someone who relates only on a visceral level and needs a lot of physical comfort and affection and attention--someone who is just comfortable in her own skin, and she's just not leading with her head. I liked that. Q: How long do you think they were married? MT: I think for awhile, not over 10 years. No kids. Q: Is that an important point? MT: Yeah, it was an important point, in her self-esteem. Also it tied into the barren landscape of the whole film. Q: The movie seems to be about characters who are past their prime. Where do you see all the characters five years before? MT: I think that Phil's character was coasting along easier, making more money--more denial going on. I think that the denial was in full swing. Our lives felt better every day, five years before. |