T.V. Carpio Talks Tapping Into Her Dark Side for Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark

Age & Hometown: 29. Hong Kong

Current Role: Arachne, the first human to ever obtain spider-like powers, who functions as both a mentor and nemesis to the title hero in Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark.

Stepping to the Bad Side: During the early preview period of the new musical extravaganza, Carpio found herself jumping into the role of Spider-Man’s lead villainess when original star Natalie Mendoza departed the production after an injury. “It’s been freaking awesome and amazing,” Carpio says of taking over the role. “I’ve been involved with this production since 2007, so I’ve covered all the female parts at one point, but I’ve never had the opportunity to play a villain. I get to explore a part of myself that I wouldn’t necessarily show in real life. You wouldn’t have functioning relationships if you went around taking what you want, when you want it, but it’s pretty fun to do it onstage.”

Flying High in Julie’s World: Spider-Man marks Carpio’s second collaboration with Tony-winning director Julie Taymor, after playing a teenage outcast in 2007’s Beatles musical Across the Universe. “You never really know what to expect,” she says of Taymor’s creative environment. “You just have to be ready to dive in and go with whatever she’s come up with in her head.” For Arachne, Taymor’s imaginative vision sends Carpio soaring over the audience in an eight-legged spider costume. “It’s actually not scary at all,” she says of the flight work. “I’d taken trapeze lessons for Across the Universe, and this is much easier. I’m doing a lot of core workouts because the movement is all in your hips.”

Life on the Spider Web: Spider-Man’s busy preview period hasn't left Carpio much personal time (“Cleaning my apartment and doing laundry are a luxury right now,” she says with a laugh), but the actress made her dressing room homey, thanks to a recent thrift shop visit with co-star Reeve Carney. [For a backstage video visit with Carpio, click here.] “I just love everyone I work with," she says. "There’s so much creativity within this group. Bono and the Edge were here a few weeks ago tweaking some of the songs and they were singing back up for me! It was so surreal. This is a dream job with dream people.”