Tobey Maguire seems like the kind of actor that people are conflicted about when his name comes up. Some think that he’s great and deserves a lot more recognition than he already gets, while others think that he’s okay but needs to stick to certain parts that seem to flatter his character a bit more. Then there are those that will defend him no matter what since he was the first recognized Spider-Man that kicked the whole franchise off. Those folks are usually offset by others that claim he was good at the time but now that others have stepped up it’s time to recognize that he was more of a placeholder. No matter where you stand on the issue of his acting it’s pretty obvious that Spider-Man is a defining role, but it’s not the only thing that he’s done, and therefore it shouldn’t be the measuring stick of his career. After all, he’s done many other movies that were just fine if not great.
Here are a few other things you might not have known about Tobey.
10. He’s been a vegan since the early 90s.
Honestly he’s not a strict vegan as he’s more vegetarian since he will consume items that vegans say no to on occasion. He doesn’t bother to condemn meat eaters or anyone that doesn’t follow his lifestyle as he’s already stated that this isn’t his purpose. Everyone’s entitled to eat what they want after all.
9. Originally he wanted to be a chef.
His mother actually paid him $100 apparently so that he would take drama class instead of home economics. That seems kind of suspect but given that he’s had such a stellar career maybe she was on to something.
8. He had to gain weight to play the role of Spider-Man.
Tobey had to gain a lot of muscle in order to play the famed webslinger and ended gaining well over 20 pounds to fill out the role. Folks tend to think that this is a detriment to the body, and it certainly can be, but the character demanded a change in physique.
7. Tobey admitted on a late night show that he’d never read a comic book and didn’t want to.
This might have crushed a lot of fans that were into Tobey and the comics, but justification is simple since some people just don’t get into comics and that’s perfectly okay. For the sake of the movie however it might have been wise to pick up at least one comic in order to get the character of Spider-Man down correctly. He did a pretty decent job really but to think of what he might have done had he read the material it’s easy to think that he could have done even more.
6. He was at one time pegged to star in Training Day.
He was going to play the part of Jake Hoyt but Ethan Hawke was the first choice and he got tapped instead. It seems better though since Tobey doesn’t seem the type for that kind of movie, at least not next to Denzel.
5. Tobey was also considered for the part of Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean.
This is another part that it seems good to see that he never got since the part of Will Turner seemed to be molded to Orlando Bloom in a way that was hard to deny. Seeing Tobey Maguire trying to pull of an English accent might have been kind of odd.
4. He almost couldn’t do Spider-Man 2.
He hurt his back while filming Seabiscuit and almost couldn’t make it to the setup of the second movie. Jake Gyllenhaal was primed and ready to go when Tobey finally decided he could make it. That’s kind of ironic that Gyllenhaal will now be in an upcoming Spider-Man movie.
3. A lot of the naysayers in his life are what helped his ambition to become a great actor.
When someone tells you that you can’t do something some people fold and walk away in defeat, but some people get mad and do what they can to prove those individuals wrong. Tobey is one of the latter since he doesn’t like being told that he can’t do something. That’s what has spurred a lot of his acting.
2. He felt as though Spider-Man 3 was a good way to end things.
This is why he needed to pick up the comics near the end of the movie or at some point in-between, because Spider-Man has had a few endings throughout the years, but he’s always come back with another adventure. The team working on these films might have reached an endpoint, but the character had not.
1. Tobey’s been mistaken for other actors throughout his career.
Apparently he’s actually been mistaken for Jake Gyllenhaal at one time or another. That’s kind of funny to be honest.
He’s a good actor, but pinning him just for Spider-Man isn’t accurate or fair.
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