Marisa Tomei Changes Her Tune Over Being Stiffed on Pete Davidson Film, After ‘Making $1M Upfront’
Marisa Tomei is attempting to do some damage control after she claimed this week that she was stiffed for playing Pete Davidson’s mother in The King of Staten Island.
“I actually just was talking to Pete today, because I was like, ‘I never got paid for that. Did you? In this age of transparency, can we talk?’,” she told Rolling Stone in an interview published on Thursday about the Judd Apatow-directed film, that was written by Davidson, and based on him losing his firefighter father during 9/11.
Tomei hurriedly followed up the bold claim by then waving off concern of payment because she had “a rollicking good time.”
Marisa Tomei and Pete Davidson in the film The King of Staten Island.
“Judd’s approach to improv—which is extensive—I was intimidated,” she added. “I’m with all these stand-ups. It was so freeing. Really changed how I approach each character going forward.”
The payment comment was buried in the Q&A, where Tomei discussed playing Tom Holland’s quirky Aunt May in Spider-Man: No Way Home and misplacing her Oscar, which she picked up in 1993 for best supporting actress in My Cousin Vinny. (Turns out the golden statue was just hiding out at her mother’s house.)
But a source claimed to Page Six on Saturday that not only had Tomei been paid, but she was handed more than $1 million upfront. “Marisa Tomei was 100 percent paid for the movie,” a source close to the production said. “She’s clearly confused.”
While Tomei’s representatives didn’t return The Daily Beast’s request for comment, they told Rolling Stone the actress was actually paid for the film. The mixup was over Tomei referring to “arcane contractual details.”
In a full statement to People, Tomei clarified, “Of course, I got paid for the work I did. I didn't forget to simply open my mailbox. There are a lot of arcane contractual details I will spare you, but that's what I was referring to.”
The King of Staten Island, which Davidson starred in and served as executive producer, was released in June 2020. The dark comedy went on to make $40 million in the midst of the pandemic, surpassing its $35 million budget, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
But the alleged payment issue aside, Tomei said she had a great time during the film, even heaping praise onto Davidson, saying, “He’s just so fucking real, and he’s unfiltered, but very sensitive. So he’s almost an irresistible combination. And he’s good-looking, even though I played [his mom].”
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