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Marisa Tomei Interview
Do you find yourself gravitating toward unconventional romantic leads? I guess so. I don't really think of it that way, but I think of things that are just kind of more authentic. I really don't like when things are all polished and perfect - the perfect love story and the hair is perfect. I was just thinking that in that little sex scene that [Jimi Mistry] and I have, that little sexy love scene, it's funny. It's a send-up. My character's just so half-neurotic - half off-the-wall and the other half passionate - and those are more of the things that, when I've had to do those scenes, that's more what it's been. It hasn't really been very serious. Everything's a little bit of tongue-in-cheek. Did you appreciate the ramifications of taking the role against a non-white lead? Yes, I certainly do appreciate that. I just thought it was something positive. I guess it didn't really cross my mind except for [thinking], "That's really great and I love that." He's sexy, too. I didn't even think of anything like that, but certainly given the choice, I'd like to support that. I'm glad to be part of it, I should say. For you, what was the most memorable scene from "The Guru?" I liked doing the scene with Jimi and that little underwear dance because it wasn't written, it wasn't scripted. It was just like, "Make something up," and it was really fun to just make something up. Did you ever find yourself stereotyped in your career? Yes, it's always just, "Get in the box." It's just easier; it's more like a factory. But I think I've been really lucky and able to do things like this film, like "The Perez Family" or like "In the Bedroom" - all these movies that are really about people. I've just been really lucky to not be too much of a stereotype. Are you comfortable going between comedy and drama? I'm very comfortable going back and forth. It's actually a great balance. You express different energies at different times in your life. Do you have different approaches to each genre? I think the approach is the same, which is to keep things truthful and authentic. That's just a matter of rhythm and style in which you convey that same truth. Who inspired you to get into acting? With acting, it was really more of a general kind of experience of really just loving being in the theater, being taken to the theater by my parents [and] watching old musicals on TV. Then my brother started taking tap lessons and I started taking tap. Things just kind of led one thing to another. I was exposed to the arts but there was no one in my family who was an artist. Were you a fan of Bollywood movies before making "The Guru?" I didn't really know much about Bollywood at all so they put together a lot of clips for me because we had to concentrate on the dance numbers. I had [the] "Best of Bollywood Dance Numbers" running constantly in my house. Then, of course, the song, the first number that's in this film that was running in the house all the time. I think they did a club remix with Jimi [Mistry]. How difficult was it to do the dance sequence? It was somewhat rushed and the choreographer really only came in a few days before [filming]. I suspect Daisy [von Sherler Mayer, the director] didn't realize what a big production it was going to be. We kind of all rallied together and just drilled. Also, the editing, they took a lot of different angles and put it together in a way that was like Bollywood. It was really fun. Are you still involved with the theater? Yes, I just finished doing a play in New York - Oscar Wilde's "Salome." What do you get from doing theater? It's just much more intimate and it's not only just the reaction that you get from the audience. You guys are creating something together and it can only happen one time. Film, there's this whole allure because it just lasts and lasts, but I think the allure for me of doing a play is that it's almost like the sand paintings they make in Venice. It just goes away after one time, and that's it. You had to be there that one night to be part of that. How do you keep it fresh each night? It really starts with whatever the text is, because if the text is rich enough, like in the case of "Salome," it is so rich that there's something else in it that's inspiring. You're figuring out something else about the character. I would say it deepens; I wouldn't say it really changes. You have your structure, but within it, it gets fuller and you can highlight other parts of the performance. |
