Tobey Maguire | This Leedle Dumpling is Steamed!
an emily blunt interview

I was recently chatting with Spider-Man, err, Tobey Maguire and he was a bit, shall we say, "annoyed" with the way pressfolks had blown up the back-story of Spider-Man2. Seems Tobey was outta da web - Then Jake Gyllenhaal was entangled - then Tobey was back in spandex web-wear. Didya hear about all this back-story hoopla?

Being Ms. Blunt, I agreed to let him set the record straight about the erroneous rumors - rumors and myths he's still answering after STARRING IN THE 2nd FILM - since all the flu-fla continues. I'd never even heard the story to be honest - but then I have a life...

So here - verbatim - is Mr. Maguire himself speaking bluntly on the matter:

Tobey: I'll tell you. My back coming out of Seabiscuit was not great - not because of Seabiscuit, the reports of this happening on Seabiscuit were absolutely false. It's a condition I've had for several years; before Spider-Man one all the way to now. It goes up and down. Sometimes it irritates me more than other times. Coming out of Seabiscuit it was really bugging me. More than it ever had.

Which I think was due to several reasons - some of the workouts I was doing were not good. I was compressing. On the squats- as well as a lot of pounding exercises; like running and basketball. All these little things kind of putting pressure on it, as well as riding a horse. That's probably not the best thing! But, it did not injure my back. I was working 14 hours a day, not getting a great amount of sleep, and starting to not be able to stretch as much and do the more core exercises that help protect my back.

So my back was in the worst place it had been in a few years. And then I saw the animatics and the storyboards of the different stunts I thought it seemed like three times what was in the first [Spider-Man]. I thought, 'Wow, this is a lot of stuff and I think the responsible thing to do its to disclose my back condition to the insurance company because this is a X hundred million dollar film. And it would be irresponsible not to disclose that.' And something happened to me in the middle of the movie and you know, screw the studio over and maybe the insurance company would be pissed. So I disclosed my condition.

I don't know exactly what it is to be honest with you. It's discomfort in my lower back. It's been fine since I did the movie. I went to doctors and made sure we knew what was going on. I was also concerned and said, 'Look I don't know how well I'll be able to do these stunts.'

If at that time in terms of someone's reaction to the news? If they went and did something that I'm not fully aware of…maybe I hear "rumors" of it but people do things that's fine and that's their business. I understand and I take no offense to any of that. Because you're talking about a whatever hundred million dollar investment with a start date! And the whole crew is hired, and they're all moving like a tidal wave to start this movie

Not to mention we are talking about this six weeks prior to that start date [of Spider-Man]. So you know, they're at the eleventh hour at that point. I was concerned. And they were also concerned for me. They didn't want to hurt me, or screw up their movie. So, I went in and worked with the stunt guys on two or three different days - testing my back out basically and it was fine, my back was fine. In the time, about three weeks, I was sitting around not doing anything my back got better! I was like 'oh no, now there's all this hoopla!' and now the press are presuming all these things without any real information! As they often do. And went 'Boy I'm gonna have to answer questions about this for years.'"

Emily: Feel better?

Tobey: Much - thanks.

Emily: And so the infamous back fiasco of the Spider-Man legends is finally a myth no more. I had to ask the real "burning" question - you know being press and all...so, is the Spider-Man suit as uncomfortable as it looks (eyebrow raised)?

Tobey: [laughter] Yeah...yeah, it's not itchy at all. It's just a little uncomfortable! It's more comfortable to be in real clothes. It can ride up a little - it's not the outer wear of the suit! It's the inner wear of the suit that can ride up.

Emily: What do you think is special - seriously - about Spider-Man? What touches the audience?

Tobey: For me what's really interesting in this Spider-Man is that Peter's not all about the extraordinary circumstances of being Spider-Man - I mean I appreciate that - but it parallels kind of a normal kid growing up. And a kid's choices in terms of becoming an adult, responsibility, being giving contributing to society...how to live a balanced life. His is a dramatic conflicted path yet pretty basic.

END

Well, Tobey's not basic - and those eyes! Manoshevitz he's up there with that coveted group of eye-men like Elijah Wood, Nicolas Cage. Though he made need/want to seek a bit of therapy- he has an issue with press. We aint all sleazstacks ya know? I can't stand second generation anger...it's the Libra in me 'suppose.

But, he's a passionate artiste, and a talented guy that just keeps showing us even without a web he can walk the tightrope of Hollywood and comfortably produce films he believes in.