Tobey Maguire is one of the most popular actors of all time, most popularly known for portraying Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s trilogy and Spider-Man: No Way Home. He is also expected to make a voice appearance in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (which we’ll see). In an ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the r/Movies subreddit aimed at promoting Babylon, Maguire answered tons of questions regarding the popular meme ‘Bully Maguire’, his opinions of films, music, pop culture, and much more.
Bully Maguire/Spider-Man
Although the post was supposed to promote Babylon, it ended up promoting Spider-Man more! Most of the questions were relevant to his acting career within Marvel, which he answered below.
Q: Hey, Tobey. How do you feel about all the memes that have been made about you throughout the years? Love them? Hate them? Neutral about them?
A: Fairly neutral. I did see the Bully Maguire videos, which was a funny discovery.
Q: Piggybacking off this, have you seen the video of the little kid that dances like Peter from Spider-Man 3?
A: Yes! Love him.
Q: Mr. Maguire,
First, a thank you – for doing this Q&A and for being a reason why I like superheroes (and Spider-Man in particular). For whatever it’s worth, I think my favorite scene in the films is Peter telling Aunt May the truth about surrounding Uncle Ben’s death – it makes me tear up every time and I’ve always found it to be a powerful sequence, thanks to you and Rosemary Harris.
Now the question: 20 years after the original Raimi Spider-Man debuted, what are your thoughts on the lasting appeal of the trilogy and how the films still resonate with people today?
Side note, if you haven’t checked it out before, I recommend browsing r/raimimemes! It’s safe to say that over there you’ve become something of an icon.
A: I’ve had a lot of memorable experiences with people, and they’ve shared what the films have meant to them. I’ve had some funny and touching experiences from spontaneous encounters in public and someone being surprised to sharing how I’ve helped them through hard times. It’s sweet, and I feel grateful. Especially with kids, it’s almost like magic, it’s amazing to see their eyes light up.
Also, I’m checking out r/raimimemes.
Q: Can you still do “the dance”?
A: Every morning when I wake up. Just trying to capture the joy of this little guy.
Q: Hey Tobey, did you keep anything cool from the set of the Spider-Man trilogy?
A: I have a red Spidey suit and a black Spidey suit AKA my PJs.
Babylon
Maguire serves as an executive producer as well as an actor for Damien Chazelle’s Babylon.
Q: Hi Tobey! Loved your scene in Babylon and loved the movie on the whole. The bit where you character is reading out his movie plot ideas while his henchman is spitting in the background feels like an homage to Boogie Nights. What was it like shooting this scene? I love how tense, yet hilarious it was!
A: It was so much fun. I felt a lot of freedom to play, because the character was kind of wild and Damien was very open to exploring who James was. In prepping and in playing the role, I felt free to color inside and outside of the lines, so to speak, and the energy of the scene, the characters, the set, the actors—it was really charged, yet playful.
Q: Hi Tobey,
Have you ever had any romantic experiences with an animal?
Thanks!
A: Don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say working with a live alligator was pretty exhilarating.
Choices
Tobey Maguire’s choices, all of which are based.
Q: Hey Tobey, who do you like more, Garfield or Holland?
A: Wait haha that’s f****d up. I love both those guys so much.
Q: Hey Tobey, would you rather fight 100 duck sized Leonardo DiCaprios or one Leonardo DiCaprio sized duck?
A: Oh, I don’t know. I don’t want to hurt anybody or anything. But also, a Leonardo DiCaprio sized duck I’d be scared of.
Q: What’s your favourite pasta shape?
A: Ooh, so many good ones! Spaghetti, farfalle, bucatini, penne, rigatoni… who could possibly choose a favorite?
Q: If only one of your films could be preserved for posterity, which would you choose?
A: I worked on Tropic Thunder for a few hours, and ran into Kate Winslet who said that was my “crowning achievement.” At first I was flattered, then I was scratching my head wondering if that was a compliment or not. So maybe that?
Q: Who is more handsome Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio?
A: What do you say to that? Next question please.
Film/Pop Culture
Q: What’s your favorite music genre and band? Do you like the band Green Day?
A: The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, and hundreds more. And yes, I do like Green Day.
Q: Hey Tobey, how does it feel to be an MTV best kiss award winner?
A: Wait, maybe that’s my crowning achievement.
Q: Hi, you’ll always be spider man to me! Who’s your favorite superhero?
A: Same problem with pasta. So many good ones, it’s too hard to choose. Batman, Superman, some of those Jedis, The Hulk, Iron Man, Wolverine, Spider-Man of course, and more.
Q: hi toby! which character have you played has a personality closest to yours in real life?
A: James McKay, duh.
Funnily enough, James McKay is a mob boss in Babylon!
Q: What is the one thing you hope achieve in life? And do you feel like you have already achieved it?
A: There isn’t a thing in particular. It’s really just aiming for balance and connected purpose. Always learning how to live a full life.
Q: Hey Tobey, loved you since I was a kid! What is a role you would love to play in the future?
A: That one’s hard because it’s all unknown. I wouldn’t have known about James McKay until I read the part. So it’s almost like a song, some make you want to stand up and dance, and others don’t.
