For any of you children of the ‘80s, you will most likely remember Marisa Tomei as the quirky, bubbly sidekick in The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World. The actress didn’t spend too much time on the small screen, before capturing Oscar gold in her star making movie role in My Cousin Vinny. She went on to achieve more critical success in films like, In the Bedroom and The Wrestler. This week, her latest film Cyrus hits movie theatres. She stars in the film along with funnymen John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill. Tomei plays Molly, the love interest of Reilly’s character John. As he tries to win her heart, he is constantly cut off at the pass by her son Cyrus. I sat down with the Academy Award winning actress to talk about the film and what it was like working with up and coming indie darlings Jay and Mark Duplass.

You have a real knack for picking your projects. You just always seem to “get it right.” What attracted you to Cyrus?
I liked exploring the dynamic of these three people at this point in their lives. It’s something I hadn’t seen before. I was also attracted to the subtleties of parenting. The fine line explored between being overly co-dependent, or is it love in these intricate relationships between parents and children.

That dynamic between your character and her son changes when John C. Reilly’s character enters the picture.
John kind of forces his way into our lives, and we kind of see it as just life and we go with the flow, but it’s always been her and Cyrus, and she and him have always had a great time. They make music together. She homeschooled him, and they just really make each other laugh.

What was it like having Jonah Hill play your son in the movie?
He’s like playing my best friend. It was really easy to hang out with him. I got to see just how many more brilliant performances he has inside him just being with him everyday. I can just see how his mind works; and I know he is just going to be so creative and vital for so long.

You also got to work with Hollywood’s new directing dynamic duo, Jay and Mark Duplass. They have a very unique shooting style. How was that experience for you?
I love how the camera work is. A lot of the time we had two cameras which really allowed all of the reactions to be caught on film. We were really able to just toss the ball back and forth. Both cameras were catching everything, and we didn’t have to recreate things on our side when a scene was over. That’s really unusual and really great for actors whether you’re doing comedy or drama. You are just right there in that same exact moment with your scene partner. It’s just really cozy and intimate, and we were all performing at the same time.

Cyrus is being hailed as the Duplass brothers best work to date. The film opens in limited theatrical release this week; so, check your local listings for showings at a theatre near you. It is rated R for sexuality and language. Be sure and check out my show Reel Critics for all of this week’s new releases and more of your favorite celebs on Time Warner Cable Video on Demand under the North Texas programming tab