The superhero flick Spider-Man: Homecoming has been hit with critics and at the box office, with audiences taking delight in the newest installment in the franchise.
The Knockturnal got the opportunity to speak to Garcelle Beauvais, who plays Doris Toomes in the film, about her experience on set what its been like to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Warning! Only read this interview if you have seen the film… SPOILERS AHEAD!
I know you have 3 sons yourself, how did they react to hearing their mom would be in Spider-Man?
Oh my god they were besides themselves, they wanted to run and tell everybody at school and I’m like, ‘You can’t say anything!’ and they were like we can’t? And I said no it’s a secret! I keep saying it’s the icing on the cake, not only to be apart of a Marvel movie which is amazing to be apart of the franchise, but to be on a project that my kids are excited to see. We’ve all seen it twice already and I’m sure we’ll see it again.
You did have to keep your character a secret for a while so I’m excited to talk about it because she played a really pivotal role. If you had a teenage daughter [like your character] how would you feel about her dating Spider-Man?
If it’s Tom Holland I’d say okay because I think he’s a pretty cool guy! I’m one of his biggest fans and I think that kid is really fantastic. I mean what I think is great about this particular Spider-Man is how they brought it back to being fun and being youthful. The second time I watched it with my kids, they brought four other friends with them, and when we left the theater they were all climbing things and jumping. What I think that they get out of this is that it could’ve been them, and I think that’s what Tom Holland brings, that it could be any kid that could be Spider-Man, he brought that youthful curiosity with him.
[SPOILER] In the film your husband plays Spider-Man’s adversary, how would you react if you found out you were married to an evil arms dealer?
Well I kind of of feel like I was married to someone like that (laughs) I’m kidding. I would probably not take it well! Hopefully the whole family will come back to the next installment. That would be a hard thing to take, anytime that somebody is living a life that you don’t know about it definitely would take a toll on the relationship.
Do you think it’s believable that your character sort of turns a blind eye to her husband’s doings, despite enjoying the perks of his crime?
I think people do that all the time, it all depends on what’s more important to you, is it integrity or is the lifestyle? We sort of all have our demons and we decide to live with them or not but I think for her, I think she loves her family and loves the idea of them together, so I don’t know, knowing what she knows now, how she would handle it in the future.
What’s your experience like being a part of the MCU so far?
Oh my god it’s been amazing, seriously just unbelievable. I was at home with my kids hanging out when I got a call that I got offered the job, and a month or two before the call we were in the theater watching Captain America: Civil War, where they introduced Spider-Man, we all loved it, and it’s funny how life works. Probably a month and a half later I get the call, so I’m thrilled to be apart of the Marvel franchise. Michael Keaton is one of my favorite actors so to get to work with him, was really awesome.
Who was your favorite superhero growing up?
I mean what little girl didn’t want to be Wonder Woman? I would always just spin around the house, and girl power!
You talked about working with Michael Keaton, what was it like working with a legend like him compared to an up-and-coming star like Tom Holland?
I think with Michael Keaton, you’re in a scene with him, and even as he’s working the scene out, he does these really subtle things that you don’t really notice until it’s on the screen, and I think thats what makes him so great. It’s almost kind of like you’re waiting for him to get into character, and then you’re like woah he was in character the entire time. Its really great to watch, and I felt that way too when I worked with Denzel Washington on Flight. He embodies the character and I think that’s what Michael Keaton also brought to the table.
And what was your favorite part about shooting?
My favorite part about shooting was really the cast, everybody really got along well. I posted a selfie on my Instagram which I think got liked or re-posted 5,000 times, the Marvel fans are crazy, we all got along. We were hanging out in Tom Holland’s trailer and he was showing us some things that he was into, and that was really cool. Nobody was sort of separated or like ‘I’m the star of the movie’ everybody was just there.
Do you have any favorite memories from shooting the film?
I would say the first time I met Michael Keaton, I was talking to the director and Michael came up and the director said ‘Michael meet your wife’ and he looked at me and he goes ‘I did good!” (laughs) so getting a stamp of approval from Michael Keaton was awesome.
What was it like working with director Jon Watts?
Okay first of all Jon is the coolest person ever. He was so mellow, just so cool, finally I went up to him and said ‘you know you’re shooting a big budget movie right?’ because he was so calm! And I think that’s what made the set really great, nobody was stressed out, nobody was screaming, he just handled it like he does this all the time, it was great to watch.
It’s definitely great to have an energy like that leading the filmmaking process.
Exactly he set the tone for it.
[SPOILER] Last question for you, your character seems to have a very open ending and looks to have a bigger role in the future. Where do see her and Laura Harrier character going?
First of all, from your mouth to God’s ears! Secondly, I would like to see the Vulture come out of jail and sort of have to reinvent himself and figure out the whole family thing, and maybe the wife did know, so maybe she has a part in it, that would be really cool.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is in theaters nationwide now.
