‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Actress Dies as Fans Mourn Her Loss

When a casting call appeared on Facebook in early 2021 searching for a local Hawaiian Filipina grandmother, few could have predicted it would lead to one of the most beloved supporting characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A retired missionary living in Honolulu simply scrolling through a friend’s social media feed would catch the attention of casting directors looking for authentic representation—a moment that would reshape the final years of her life.

The role seemed almost too good to be true for someone with no prior acting experience, someone who had devoted much of her later years to missionary work and life in Hawaii. It would require just one scene, one small but pivotal moment in a film that would go on to become a cultural phenomenon. What began as a family encouragement to audition would transform into one of the proudest achievements of her lifetime.

Mary Rivera, a beloved actress who played Ned Leeds’ Filipino grandmother in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, has died at the age of 82, according to TMZ. Rivera died on April 15 in Honolulu. A family member told the outlet that Rivera suffered a stroke, and doctors warned the family her condition was extremely serious. Doctors told them even if Mary emerged from the coma, her prognosis would not be good, so the family made the difficult decision to remove her from life support.

The story of how Rivera landed her role has become as heartwarming as her on-screen appearance itself. In a 2022 interview with Hawaiʻi Public Radio, Rivera’s daughter Angie Kelly detailed how she discovered a casting call looking for a local Hawaiʻi Filipina grandmother between the age of 50 and 90 while scrolling Facebook. “And immediately I thought, ‘Oh, well my mom qualifies and checks off all those boxes,'” Kelly said.

Rivera, initially reluctant about pursuing the opportunity, eventually agreed to audition after encouragement from her family. A young family member helped Rivera film an audition tape and send it off to the casting team, where they simply asked her to talk about herself and why she wanted to do the role.

She gave a brief history of her time in the Philippines and what brought her to the United States, and spoke about raising her four children and 11 grandchildren—basically, that is her biggest accomplishment of everything that she’s done.

The casting directors were moved. Though she is only in a handful of moments in ‘No Way Home,’ Rivera has a key role in one of the biggest scenes in the film, present for the scene in which the multiversal Peter Parkers, played by former Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, are summoned to Ned’s home. In one of the movie’s memorable scenes, she asks Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man to clean cobwebs from the ceiling while speaking in Tagalog as Ned translates.

For Rivera, the role held profound cultural significance. “It was a rare privilege for me, a simple Filipina, to be featured in a Hollywood movie,” she told KHON2. “I wanted to bring some pride to my homeland of the Philippines because I thought, wow, this is Disney. This is Marvel.”

Her daughter Kelly discussed how proud Rivera was of her accomplishment, telling Hawaii Public Radio’s The Conversation: “It’s humbling really, because never before in cinematic history really has there been a place for the Filipino language and culture.” She is survived by her husband, Alejandro Rivera, and her children, Carmela Jones, Paul Rivera, Edwin Rivera and Angela Kelly, along with 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

What began as a modest audition tape sent to casting directors became a defining chapter in both Hollywood representation and one woman’s extraordinary life story. How are you reflecting on Mary Rivera’s legacy in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’?