Though the first years of the new millennium suggested no end to Tobey Maguire's skyrocketing
fame, it wasn't long after the cooler reception to Spider-Man 3 that his presence in front
of the camera began to become a bit of a rarity.
Of course, everything happens for a reason.
Difficult to work with
It turns out that, despite his affable appearance, Maguire may not always be a treat to work
with.
James Franco, for example, has admitted to feeling both professional and romantic resentment
towards his Spider-Man co-star.
And when Franco interviewed Charlize Theron for V Magazine, she said of Maguire, her Cider
House Rules co-star,
"Tobey and I had a bit of a rough time, yeah.
I mean, we're good now.
It was a difficult movie."
The drama goes beyond acting circles as well.
After the success of Spider-Man, Maguire tried to get Columbia Pictures to adjust the filming
schedule of Spider-Man 2 to accommodate his bad back.
He even got executives to meet with his neurosurgeon to discuss his workload, only to be dropped
from the project a few days later.
He was quickly reinstated, partly due to a helping hand from his then-girlfriend's father,
a leading exec at rival studio Universal.
He ended up apologizing, referring to his own attitude as "inappropriate."
Avoiding the popularity game
In an interview with Cinema.com around the time that Spider-Man came out, Maguire was
asked how he felt about comments that he was "too reserved as an actor."
He explained that he had more or less embraced the fact that he isn't very charismatic.
Basically, he claimed not to equate real-world popularity with doing a good job on set.
Based on his own words and behavior, it would appear that it isn't in Mr. Maguire's nature
to be excessively flashy or outgoing.
But the harsh reality of Hollywood is that if you're not willing to play the popularity
game, sooner or later you're likely to be pushed onto the back burner.
And with Maguire's willing embrace of his own subdued nature, it's no surprise that
he's slowly faded from the minds of Hollywood casting agents.
Ending on a low note
Despite launching Maguire to fame, the Spider-Man flicks may have also had a bit of a negative
effect on his career trajectory.
While all three films were box office smashes, the series ended on what was pretty universally
considered the worst of trilogy.
The project had a lot of factors stacked against it, and even director Sam Raimi was disenchanted
with the final product.
Shortly after the sour critical and fan response, talks between Raimi and Sony about a fourth
installment fell through.
Needless to say, ending your tenure as an iconic character with a movie so unpopular
it seemingly kills a franchise tends to undo some of the goodwill of a strong beginning.
It's no surprise then that the whole scenario took a bit of the luster off of the Marvel
star power that initially did so much to fuel Maguire's career.
"There's someone else!
I've fallen in love with someone else."
Marriage, divorce, and fatherhood
It may be a cliché, but it's still true that marriage and parenting can be tough challenges
that take up all the time we throw at them.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Maguire's marriage to jewelry designer Jennifer
Meyer in 2007 happened to coincide with the beginning of his gradual fade from the limelight.
The relationship lasted for nine years before they announced that they were officially separating
in October 2016.
The divorce was finalized a year later.
Fortunately, though, the split was amicable, and Maguire and Meyer both remain dedicated
parents to their two children, Ruby and Otis.
Furthermore, Us Weekly reported in 2018 that Meyer considers her ex-husband to be her best
friend, and the two have continued to strive to raise happy children despite the circumstances.
"The best co-parent a girl could have.
We really share in everything, he's amazing.
He's the greatest dad in the world.
So, he makes it very easy."
From actor to producer
When he's not tending to his family duties, Maguire is still first and foremost an entertainer.
While earlier in his career that primarily meant acting, recently he's begun to spin
off in a different direction as a producer.
Interestingly, it's through this shift that Maguire seems to have found the ideal way
to truly express his passions.
Again, the man isn't an attention hog.
Thus, it's only natural that when his fame and fortune reached a certain point, he attempted
to move out of the spotlight without dropping his passion for cinema altogether.
He's produced a few minor successes, like Rock of Ages, Pawn Sacrifice, and The 5th
Wave.
But while most of his movies have been decently produced, they were decidedly not box office
successes.
This is fine for a hobbyist focused on a passion project, but a list of duds and semi-successes
won't go far in helping an ambitious actor muscle his way back into the limelight.
A little bit picky
Another factor that has chilled the relationship between Hollywood and Tobey Maguire is the
fact that he doesn't accept just any old acting job that's offered to him these days.
He's been very selective about the roles he's taken on in the years since Spider-Man.
In a 2015 interview with Nylon, he explained,
"It's always difficult to find projects that I want to get involved in, so that's a continuous
challenge."
Maguire went on to say that his choosy nature stems from the fact that a moviemaking career
involves a lot of commitment and investment.
If he's not deeply interested in the story of the project, it becomes very hard for him
to enjoy the experience.
And we can't argue with that.
At this point in his career, if Maguire can't do what he loves, then he might as well pack
up shop.
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