It’s wonderful that Maguire has been having a renaissance with this film and his recent appearance in Spider-Man No Way Home (2021), but anyone who enjoys movies knows Tobey has received this kind of praise for a long time. Since his first speaking role in This Boys Life (1993), he’s been captivating audiences with his charm and eloquence. It’s time to give him his full due. He’s shown incredible range throughout his rise and journey through fame—from playing desperate men in the military in The Great Gatsby, to voice acting in animated comedies like The Boss Baby (2017), to helping redefine an entire genre that’s a cornerstone of today’s film market. There’s not much Tobey Maguire hasn’t done.
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Superheroes Have Him to Thank
This next point may be his biggest contribution to Cinema. At this current juncture, the superhero genre is as important and foundational to the mainstream film scene as air or water is to us. We can’t imagine an era of movies without Thor or Batman or the Guardians of the Galaxy occupying at least some corner of our attention. People can easily forget that it wasn’t always like this: at the turn of the century, superhero movies were in a pretty sorry state. The most recent attempts at making Batman movies had ended disastrously, and there hadn’t been many other companies trying to turn superhero IPs into franchises.
Then, in 2002, Sam Raimi released ‘Spider-Man.’ More grounded and operatic in nature compared to its superhero movie predecessors, it felt like a whole new kind of superhero representation. It told a sincere and heartfelt story without many jokes, and Sam Raimi’s incredible directing guided him through the web-slinging scenes. Maguire had been doing some semi-popular movies for over a decade, each role growing in popularity. In 1998, he starred in his biggest role yet as David in ‘Pleasantville.’ When Maguire was chosen for the role of Spider-Man, it completely changed his life. He exuded a boyish charm that made him seem like a high-schooler wise beyond his age. In this way, his acting choices as a struggling superhero were innovative. Maguire put a face on how actors would inhabit superhero roles in the ensuing decades. Going forward, he has been an inspiration to many newer superhero actors, as he defined a completely new look for the genre. The two Spider-Men following Tobey (Andrew Garfield and Marvel’s own Tom Holland) are always compared to him. When enjoying superhero stuff wasn’t commonplace, Maguire dared to portray a superhero as deeply and as dramatically as any other non-superhero role had been shown to be. He contributed to the genre’s modern success in a crucial way. Without him and Christian Bale from ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy, there wouldn’t be the plethora of superhero movies we know and love today.
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How He Expresses His Feelings
His acting itself should be a topic of discussion. Tobey Maguire’s biggest break was his role as Peter Parker. Here, he displayed a huge range of emotions. There were many times when he conveyed various shades of altruism. In the third movie, he experimented with vengefulness and jealousy. Maguire masterfully played around with two contradictory feelings being expressed by the same character, and how much dissonance this creates in the viewer.
The way he conveys anger is similarly expressed in other roles as well. In ‘Brothers,’ he played a veteran who was once thought to be dead, dealing with complex PTSD. There is a certain way Maguire shouts and a certain way his eyes flare in fiery rage when someone makes him mad. Conversely, there’s a certain way that Maguire expresses peacefulness and calm. When Peter Parker finally learns his lesson about forgiveness, zen tranquility washes over Maguire’s face. It’s very moving to see a character overcome so much hatred to get to a place of hope. When he expressed these emotions in this particular order, the dichotomy of these two opposing emotions makes logical sense and deepens the story. Instead of creating dissonance, it creates catharsis. It’s a similar feeling he expressed as David in ‘Pleasantville’, when his character ends his emotional arc on a happy and relieved note.
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Who Does He Like to Play?
Discussing the characters he’s played naturally brings to mind the roles Maguire seems to gravitate towards. He tends to pick characters that simultaneously express extreme opposites. One moment, these people are collected and wise: the next, they’re hotheaded and vehement. He always brings this to life in a compelling and complex way. More than most actors of his generation, he has the ability to channel so many different emotions.
He’s also had more chances than most to portray the full range of emotions from a singular character. Maguire’s Peter Parker experienced so much emotional turbulence in the original trilogy (especially ‘Spider-Man 3’). Then, when he reprised this same role for a fourth time in ‘Spiderman: No Way Home,’ his iteration had mellowed out and become wise. At this point in his life, he had enough experience to act as a sage to the other Spider-Men, guiding them through their own moral predicaments, self-perceptions, and emotional dilemmas with ease and grace. It was a move that felt incredibly meta, but that didn’t detract from how sincerely Maguire played this version of the friendly neighborhood hero.
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Tobey Maguire has impacted the film industry in an enormous way. Sure, he left an indelible imprint on the superhero genre, and in doing so also created the blueprint for others in the genre going forward. However, he also has portrayed many fascinating and extreme characters throughout his career, all of consistently high quality. The fact that his legacy is more than just Spider-Man speaks volumes about what he brings to every single role. Go see Tobey Maguire in ‘Babylon’ now. Whatever project he takes on next, it’s worth watching.
By Zachary DePiore
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
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Zachary DePiore graduated from Ohio University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. He’s loved writing his entire life, from creating picture books when he was seven to learning how to write copy, scripts, audio stories for radio and more in college. The Hollywood Insider’s dedication to combining deft storytelling and positivity made him realize that this had to be his next step forward. Some of his hobbies include traveling, tv shows, and movies. His favorite show is Avatar: The Last Airbender. As of right now, he’s a charity fundraiser in Cincinnati.
Zachary DePiore graduated from Ohio University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. He’s loved writing his entire life, from creating picture books when he was seven to learning how to write copy, scripts, audio stories for radio and more in college. The Hollywood Insider’s dedication to combining deft storytelling and positivity made him realize that this had to be his next step forward. Some of his hobbies include traveling, tv shows, and movies. His favorite show is Avatar: The Last Airbender. As of right now, he’s a charity fundraiser in Cincinnati.
