Tobey Maguire discusses the powerfully emotional experience of filming his surprise return for . Maguire first took on the role of Peter Parker under the direction of Sam Raimi in 2002’s Spider-Man, and reprised the role in two sequels, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 and 2007’s Spider-Man 3. He was intended to star in a fourth film as the wall-crawler, which even went as far as having concept art and a full script, but when negotiations with Raimi fell through, Maguire also walked away. Afterwards, the franchise was rebooted, spawning 2012’s starring Andrew Garfield as the titular hero. The British-American actor played the character in two films, with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 being panned by critics and audiences, leading to another reboot.
Tom Holland was the next actor to tackle the part, which also saw Spider-Man brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Holland then began his series of films with 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, which was a massive success, leading to 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. The newest film in the franchise, Spider-Man: No Way Home, sought to raise the bar, embracing the multiverse storyline currently running in the MCU. Utilizing that storytelling device, Holland’s Spider-Man got the opportunity to meet Maguire and Garfield’s iterations of the characters, which saw them facing off against five villains that also came from earlier films. Maguire and Garfield’s involvement was kept under wraps, and despite rumors, it was still able to wow audiences.
Now, Maguire finally opens up about his experience on set. A little over a month since the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the official Spider-Man Youtube channel brought together all three actors for a joint interview. Maguire states he had an awareness of the history on set, seeing all the actors and producers who have breathed life into the character for 20 years. He says, “Just personally, it was powerful for me to be working with Andrew and Tom and powerful in a legitimately moving emotional way.” Maguire continues by discussing the rich brotherhood he felt working with Holland and Garfield on set. Check out Maguire’s full comments below:
I’ll say I remember being on set and it was I believe our last day, Andrew, and it was really amazing, and I had the awareness of this, you know, the 20 years of history, but looking at Amy [Pascal] and Kevin [Feige] and realizing that they’ve been there through all the different iterations, and it was really powerful. Just personally, it was powerful for me to be working with Andrew and Tom and powerful in a legitimately moving emotional way, and then to witness Amy and Kevin and consider their journeys through all the films it was it was really impactful. I was just grateful every day. It was such a rich experience and, as the guys have touched on, the kind of sharing of something and the brotherhood of it, it was just so rich, emotional and, I don’t know, I’m not like sitting there conceptually thinking about that all the time, but I would have moments where that kind of stuff would hit me.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is both a critical and financial success, becoming the 4th highest-grossing domestic film of all time. The rumors and hype surrounding Maguire and Garfield’s return easily played a part, with audience curiosity-driven to all-time highs. While Maguire likely assumed he would never return as Spider-Man, Marvel’s unique idea not only made it possible, but enticing, giving both he and Garfield another chance to embody characters they thought they had more time with.
Maguire’s comments also go further than just the actors playing Spider-Man, as No Way Home features numerous returning villains and even producers. While actors like Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, and Jamie Foxx reprised their villainous roles, producers like Kevin Feige have also been involved since the start. Feige served as an uncredited executive producer on Maguire’s first Spider-Man film before receiving the credit on the subsequent sequels, including Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man films. Given his involvement, Maguire’s emotional time on set goes deeper than most fans may realize. It seems unlikely that Maguire would reprise the role again, but anything is possible now that Spider-Man: No Way Home has audiences demanding The Amazing Spider-Man 3 for Garfield, and even Spider-Man 4 for Maguire.
Next: No Way Home Trailers vs Movie: Where Maguire & Garfield Were Removed
Source: Spider-Man / Youtube
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