Marisa Tomei is probably best-known these days for playing Peter Parker’s hot Aunt May, but she’s had a three-decade long career since her breakout (and Oscar-winning) role in My Cousin Vinny. Tomei had starred with Robert Downey Jr twice before they reunited in the MCU – in 1992’s biopic Chaplin and one of the best rom-coms, 1994’s Only You.
She has also popped up in two of the biggest TV comedy series of all time. Tomei played herself in two-part Seinfeld story The Cadillac as love interest for ‘Lord Of The Idiots’ George Costanza, played by Jason Alexander.
“My name was the only reason I got cast,” recalled Tomei to The Guardian in 2017. “They just liked the way my name sounded. [Writer] Larry David told me; ‘When you say your name over and over, it has a really strong rhythm – Marisa Tomei… Marisa Tomei…’ But hey, I’ll take it. I’d love to do a TV show with Jason Alexander. We run into each other all the time and always talk about it.”
She then romanced another unlikely sitcom sex god – The Simpsons‘ nicey-nicey neighbour Ned Flanders. Tomei guested in a Notting Hill-spoofing storyline about a movie star falling for a shopkeeper. “You should ask Ned Flanders what kind of kisser I am,” Tomei laughed. “Although he’d probably just say I was okily-dokily.”
Seinfeld ran from 1989 to 1998, but is still hugely popular to this day. It follows four friends in New York who are generally unlucky in their careers and dating lives. Jerry Seinfeld plays a fictional version of himself, Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Elaine, Michael Richards plays Kramer, and Jason Alexander plays one of the greatest TV characters of all time – George Costanza.
If you’re a fan of Seinfeld, check out our guide to the best TV series of all time to find out if it made the cut.