Mary Rivera, the actor behind one of Spider-Man: No Way Home's most memorable scenes, dies at 82

Mary Rivera, the Filipina actor best known for playing Ned Leeds' grandmother in Spider-Man: No Way Home, has died. She was 82.

Rivera died on April 15 in Honolulu, Hawaii. According to TMZ, she had suffered a stroke before her death. She is survived by her husband, Alejandro Rivera; her children Carmela Jones (Jay), Paul Rivera (Leilani), Edwin Rivera and Angela Kelly (Jaime); 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Born on June 2, 1943, in Iloilo Province in the Philippines, Rivera graduated from the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City in 1964 with a degree in education. She later worked at Kanlaon Broadcasting System, a local radio station.

While it is unclear when she moved to the United States, Rivera spent her later years in Hawaii, where she worked as a teacher and later became a retired church missionary.

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A Facebook audition changed everything

Rivera had no professional acting background before landing her role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

She secured the part after responding to a Facebook casting call looking for a Filipina performer between the ages of 50 and 90. In an interview with the Philippines' Star FM Baguio, Rivera said her daughter, Angela Kelly, spotted the post and encouraged her to audition.

For her audition tape, Rivera recited lines from The Grapes of Wrath.

A brief role that became unforgettable

Although Rivera appeared in only one scene in the 2021 Marvel blockbuster, it became one of the film's most memorable moments.

In the scene, she plays Ned's grandmother as Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) discover they can use Doctor Strange's sling ring to open portals. The sequence also marks the dramatic return of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Men, who make their first appearance in Tom Holland's Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.

The surprise came after months of speculation and was kept under wraps until the film's release, prompting loud reactions from audiences around the world.

A milestone for Filipino representation

Rivera's role also stood out for its cultural significance. The scene featured two Filipino characters on screen, with Batalon, a Filipino-American born in Hawaii, playing Ned. Rivera also delivered several lines in Tagalog, making it one of the first major Hollywood blockbusters to prominently feature the Filipino language.

Speaking to Star FM Baguio, Rivera recalled how director Jon Watts encouraged her to speak in her native language while scolding the Spider-Men for making a mess in her kitchen.

"There was a 'swelling in my heart,'" Rivera said, describing the moment Watts told her she could perform the scene in Tagalog.

'To the world, she's Ned's Lola'

Reflecting on her mother's unexpected rise to global recognition, Angela Kelly shared what the experience meant to their family in an interview with Hawaii Public Radio.

"It's been an amazing adventure. To us, she's just my mom. But to the rest of the world, she's Ned's Lola," Kelly said. "It's humbling really, because never before in cinematic history really has there been a place for the Filipino language and culture. They did a really good job with paying attention to the details of our culture."