Marisa Tomei: Second Cousin?

It's been 12 years since Marisa Tomei charmed moviegoers as the sassy, gum-snapping Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny. While she'd played other roles before — including a memorable stint on As the World Turns — this comic turn earned her an Oscar and skyrocketed her onto Hollywood's A list. Any chance Tomei, who'll next appear in Alfie (opening Friday), would reunite with Vinny costar Joe Pesci for a sequel?

"We both want to do it," the 39-year-old Brooklyn native says, "but it is a matter of getting the script, and it is a whole studio thing. We enjoy each other so much and we have so much fun."

However, she doesn't think stepping back into Mona's heels would be a cakewalk. "It would be hard to revisit any character," she muses. "I remember what she feels like and the energy of it, but I don't remember specifics. It is a scary prospect, [but] I think it would be really good."

Of course, Tomei's reached the point in her career where she's known as more than just a New Yawker with big hair. Unfortunately, she's got another problem. "The irony is that now, after In the Bedroom, people forget that I do comedy," she laughs. "So it's always something. It is a great thing for me because I can do both and I like to do both."

To that end, Tomei plans to lighten things up again with Charm School, the movie she's currently filming. "It is a romantic comedy, a lonely hearts kind of thing," she smiles. "It takes place in a dancing school and I've got a prosthetic leg. I think that says it all."