Tobey Maguire: I’m the first superhero. It’s enough for me

In Babylon, a story that follows the rise and fall of many characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood, Tobey Maguire has a rather repulsive role. He plays the scheming casino owner James McKay, and as the actor points out, it’s his first real “con”.

“He is a businessman and a criminal, but he gets drunk on being a shrewd businessman. Like many others who come to Hollywood, he dreams of being a mogul in the film industry. So when he meets people in the industry, there’s a kind of giddy excitement, a strange kind of childlike innocence. But that doesn’t make him any less menacing, and with icy calmness he lets others descend deeper into his vile world,” Tobey Maguire gives an exhaustive characterization of his rogue.

Another novelty is his role in the new Apple TV anthology series called Extrapolations (2023).

“The series is extremely interesting and, above all, current. They are unexpected stories about how the coming changes on our planet will affect love, faith, work and family,” says Maguire.

He stars in it with Forrest Whitaker, Edward Norton, but also with famous colleagues Meryl Streep and Marion Cotillard.

Tobey Maguire will never forget his iconic role. When he got the role of Spider-Man almost twenty years ago, he became the hero of an entire generation. However, it was not easy for the promising actor at the time to first prove that he was the perfect match for her. He had to overcome a number of obstacles including a harsh training regime.

He spoke about him recently in an interview with Howard Stern’s American radio show: “I had a top personal trainer, Gregory Joujon-Roche, who trained Demi Moore and other celebrities, and he decided to turn me into Spider-Man.” I trained with him for five months, six days a week, up to four hours a day. Plus, I was a vegetarian, so I had a nutritionist and four to six meals a day. Lots of protein. Terrible work, but worth it.’

He returned to the role the year before last in the action sci-fi Spider-Man: Homeless (2021). “I played Peter Parker in it with gusto, the film was a huge success. He brought together all generations of Spiderman: me, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland. I was downright excited about the younger acting versions of me. Both made a huge impression on me. And while there are still more Spider-Man movies in the works, I’d survive if I didn’t star in any more. No one will deny that it was me and my Spider-Man who were the first in the modern era of superheroes,” says Tobey Maguire proudly.

Both in his previous and in his next career, which was characterized by unforgettable performances, he collaborated with a number of the most recognized creators and actors.

He can be proud of the sports drama Seabiscuit (2003) with Jeff Bridges, Cider House Rules (1999) with Michael Caine and Charlize Theron, Cool Guys (2000) with Michael Douglas or the war drama Brothers (2009) alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman.

And even though he continued to appear in bigger films, such as The Great Gatsby or in the unexpected role of Devon Morehouse in the comedy miniseries The Spoils of Babylon (2014), which he also produced, he no longer attracted Hollywood casting agents so much.

Several reasons were to blame. According to his own words, he was exhausted by the attention he received as a recognized celebrity and therefore turned down other offers for big blockbusters.

“People talk about my lack of charisma, so I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not exactly a charismatic guy. However, I always do a good job on set. But I won’t immediately take every role that is offered to me these days. Because it is difficult to find projects that I want to be involved in, so many people say that I am picky.”

There were also personal reasons behind his “failure” in his career. A few years ago, his marriage to jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer failed and he didn’t take it well.

Although the divorce was fortunately without drama and the two remained devoted parents of two children – daughter Ruby (16) and son Otis (13) – Tobey could not cope with him and began to spend his time alone gambling – he always had a weakness for poker . He played and competed with other actors and friends in many tournaments across the United States.

For example, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck, he also participated in illegal gambling in the infamous Viper room club. And the reputation of a gambler did not exactly go together with the image of a comic book hero.

Since 2017, Maguire has not accepted any film offers and has devoted himself mainly to producing and directing films. His own production company Material Pictures (2012) gave him the opportunity to break away from acting while maintaining his passion for the film industry.

“I’ve been able to put my name on a few films that were at least a minor success, such as the musical comedy-drama Rock of Ages (2012) with Tom Cruise and the suspenseful Cold War thriller The Pawn (2014),” he says with satisfaction. that in 2019 his studio saw more notable success with three more films – the comedies Boyz in the Wood, Brittany Runs and Marathon, and the historical drama The Best of Enemies.

“With this success, it looks like I’ll hopefully be re-entering Hollywood’s consciousness. I believe that the next films can bring me, an ambitious entertainer, back into the limelight.”