Even at 44 (at the time of filming), Marisa looked youthful as ever playing an exotic dancer in Darren Aronofskys The Wrestler, a role which garnered her both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. To help her get into character, Tomei insisted on having lots of fake tattoos (which she picked out herself) and glued-on nipple rings. She also took the time to learn actual dance routines. The actress explained how she got into her role with /Film:
"I had to try to decide what kind of stripper was she, and also I had to coordinate it with my moves. There were certain things that were required in the scene. He had to put money in at a certain point, so I knew that I couldnt be wearing boy shorts. It had to be a certain g-string because he had to do that action of the money, and I knew that I didnt want to be stuck having a scene with him completely topless, so it had to be a certain point in the music where I still had whatever bra on, or maybe I had to have all my layers right. It was a lot more complicated."
Early in the film we see Tomei give Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) a private lap dance and then we see her give another on-stage performance towards the end of the film. Both scenes are quite unforgettable. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7y7oy_marisa-tomei-the-wrestler_shortfilms
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
