Secrets of Spidey's Doc Oc!
Theater vet Alfred Molina — who plays Spider-Man 2's Doctor Octopus — was tickled by everything to do with the big-budget popcorn film. "I have seen the Doc Oc action figure and I'm glad to say they've been very flattering," he says. "I didn't model for it, but I think Brad Pitt did! Because I've never had pecs like that — I have middle-aged-man breasts. My wife said, 'Honey, why can't you look more like that?'"
It gives nothing away to say Doc Oc's defeated in the end. Of course, Spidey has to win. But will Molina be back for future sequels? "There's no way of knowing," the 51-year-old chuckles. "I think that really depends on the audiences. In the Marvel comic-book universe, you never die, you just disappear for a while. If they love Doc Oc, he may well come back. If they say, 'Who's the weird guy with the tentacles? We could've done without him!' — he probably won't."
So far, Molina's earned himself at least one important fan. "I love Doc Oc as a villain," enthuses Tobey Maguire, the web-slinger himself. "I thought Willem Dafoe did a great job [in the first film], but Doc Oc is way cooler than Green Goblin. Cinematically, he's a better villain."
Molina loves the tentacled meanie's "sardonic, almost cruel sense of humor," but admits that witty dialogue takes a back seat to the action in a splashy movie like this. "With all the special effects, the actor's role is not quite as crucial," he admits. "You're suspended 60 feet up in the air for three hours, and all the camera shot requires is that you react to being punched in the head. It's not a good time to discuss and worry about your character's innermost motivations. But it's fun!"
