“I Disappointed My Father…”: The Moving Secrets of Spider-Man Villain Alfred Molina

In a video interview with Vanity Fair, Alfred Molina talked about his relationship with his father, who never supported his son’s acting career, a particularly poignant moment that he revealed on social networks.

During the interview, the actor recalled the time when he got an opportunity to become a restaurant manager for a higher salary than his starting salary as an actor. But he refused the job, which surprised his father. Of course, that was long before he became a Tony and BAFTA nominated actor, as well as iconic movie villain thanks to his role as Dr. Octopus in Sam Raimi’s iconic Spider-Man 2.

He tells his story like this:When I was very young, my father found me a job in the restaurant where he worked. I can say for myself, I was such a good waiter that the management offered me two weeks of management training“, he began. “I refused because I found an acting job. My father said to me, “How much do you get paid for this acting?” I said, “I’m on a union wage, so £15 a week.”“

He then explains that his other job offered him a salary of around £30, prompting his father to ask: “Wait a minute. Here you get 30 or 35. And you choose to win 15?“

“I said yes.’ He looked at me and had the look of a madman and a lost person.“, he recalls. “He looked at me as if he didn’t know me. All I could say to him was, “This is what I like, Dad.” He never really understood. I really disappointed my father. Yes.“

Palpable sadness

The emotional 70-year-old actor took a long break and tried to hold back tears, reflecting his disappointment with his father.

“I think if my father had lived a little longer, I hope he would have realized that I did not waste my time– he added sadly.

in fact only after the death of the latterAlfred Molina He learned that his father, however, was paying attention to his acting career.

“My father and I never talked about my work“, he continued. “He didn’t call me and say what are you doing? What is happening ?’ We did not have such a relationship. When he died, I went to Spain for the funeral and I was with his widow, my mother-in-law, and she brought me this suitcase full of clippings, photographs, magazine clippings and letters from people who had written to her. Tell them they saw me. He kept it all but never talked about it.“

He follows: “My mother-in-law told me, do you want anything from this? I couldn’t stand it. I said no. I’ve always tried with my kids…all you can do is tell them how brilliant they are. That’s all you have to do.“

Alfred Molina He is currently returning to Broadway in a new production of Anton Chekhov’s 1897 play. Uncle VanyaWith Steve Carell. He will next be seen on screen in the fantasy film Harold and the Magic Pencil opposite Zachary Levi and Zooey Deschanel, which will be released on October 16, 2024 here.

Hear Alfred Molina speak emotionally about his father in the video clip below: