In 2004, Alfred Molina first took on the role of Otto Octavius in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, and now, the actor is set to return as his version of the iconic villain in the third Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man instalment, Spider-Man: No Way Home.
During an interview with Variety, Molina broke silence on his return as Doc Ock in which he stated that he was “under orders not to talk about it” while shooting but later described himself as “the worst kept secret in Hollywood.”
“It was wonderful. It was very interesting going back after 17 years to play the same role, given that in the intervening years, I now have two chins, a wattle, crow’s feet and a slightly dodgy lower back,” Molina said.
Fans of the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy will be aware that Molina’s Doc Ock died at the end of the second film, meaning Spider-Man: No Way Home will have to explain how he is now back. However, according to Molina, director Jon Watts told him that “in this universe, no one really dies” and his journey will pick up from that “final” moment in the river.
Molina later explained that he originally worried about his physicality about taking on the role once again as no de-ageing technology can hide an actor’s physical movement – which he references Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.
“They made Robert De Niro’s face younger, but when he was fighting, he looked like an older guy. He looked like an old guy! That’s what worried me about doing it again. I then remembered that it’s the tentacles that do all the work!,” he continued. “My basic physical move as Doc Ock, as the actor, is just this. I just do that a lot, and the arms are doing all the killing and smashing and breaking. I’m just going —” he glared — “with a kind of mean look on my face… It was fantastic.”
Spider-Man: No Way Home is slated for release on December 17th 2021 and sees Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home) directing Tom Holland (Spider-Man), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Zendaya (MJ), Marisa Tomei (Aunt May), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Tony Revolori (Flash Thompson), Jamie Foxx (Electro) and Alfred Molina (Doctor Octopus).
