When we think of the iconic portrayal of Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus in Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 2 (2004), one name instantly springs to mind: Alfred Molina. The latter’s performance as the villainous Doc Ock is widely considered to be among the finest performances of the entire Spider-Man film franchise.
But what if we told you that the London-born actor, 70, might not have even been a part of the film without the crucial role of Raimi’s wife, Gillian Greene? Can you think of anyone else who could portray the multifaceted villain with such finesse?
While Molina is a seasoned and talented actor with an impressive résumé, it was Greene’s keen eye behind the scenes that ultimately led to Molina’s casting as Otto Octavius.
The Untold Story: How Sam Raimi’s Wife Shaped Alfred Molina’s Role in Spider-Man 2
After making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Alfred Molina’s Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 has found newfound fame. For the actor, though, his casting in the Tobey Maguire starrer was a “big surprise”. In fact, the actor recently told Vanity Fair that it was not the kind of role he expected himself to be “qualified” for.
If it were not for one woman’s astute observation, Molina would never have assumed this legendary role in the 2004 superhero flick. He went into detail about this fascinating bit of film trivia, which showed how Raimi’s wife had a significant impact on Molina’s casting:
“The story goes that Sam Raimi’s wife [Gillian Greene] happened to say to him: ‘There’s this actor in Frida. He looks interesting’. And Sam being a smart man listened to his wife and he called me in. and we had a great meeting. I kept saying, ‘Look I am up for it. But I gotta be honest with you, I have never done anything like this before’.”
Raimi, who trusted his wife’s suggestion, decided to cast Molina for the role, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Raiders of the Lost Ark actor further explained:
“I certainly have never worked on a film with all this technology. You know, I have never done much green screen or anything like that. But what swung it was we did a screen test where they gave me an approximation of the costume, the big leather thing with a big trench coat… and then Avi Arad, who at the time was head of Marvel took off his sunglasses and goes, ‘Put these on’. And I put the sunglasses on and the whole room just sort of went, ‘Oh this could be the image’.”
Immediately winning over fans, Molina’s portrayal of Doctor Octopus was hailed by many as one of the best villain performances in the film, which also starred Kirsten Dunst and James Franco.
How Alfred Molina Defied Doubts in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Alfred Molina was initially concerned that he might be too old to reprise his role of Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In an episode of Household Faces with John Ross Bowie, the Spider-Man 2 star talked candidly about taking on the character again:
“There was one scene where I suddenly meet Tobey [Maguire], and he kinda goes ‘How are you, Doctor?’ And I go, ‘Oh my god, it’s good to see you’. I got very teary in that scene… And it was, of course, delightful to see Tobey again. We did have a giggle on set about… I think I said something like, ‘I’m terrified that I might be a bit too old for this’.”
Thankfully, the actor was able to have his age artificially reduced by the visual effects team, allowing him to reprise his character again. Well, that is why, among many other honors, Spider-Man: No Way Home was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
In terms of his next project, Molina will appear in Doug Liman’s heist thriller, The Instigators, which also stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck.
Both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Spider-Man 2 are streaming on Disney Plus.
