Tobey Maguire on Spider-Man 2
Tobey Maguire gives the fans what they want, sharing details on the upcoming "Spider-Man" sequel... "We have a great script and the same team of people making the film, so I feel really good about going in and making this sequel. I think we're raising th
Tobey Maguire gives the fans what they want, sharing details on the upcoming "Spider-Man" sequel, explaining his love for Radiohead and describing the experience of playing a jockey in this summer's "Seabiscuit."
Q: The first "Spider Man" was awesome. I heard the next one's coming out soon. Can you give any sneak peeks? — Nick
Maguire: The next one is coming out in a little over a year. I can't really tell you what it's about, but I can tell you that I'm really excited about it and we're having fun making it.
We have a great script and the same team of people making the film, so I feel really good about going in and making this sequel. I think we're raising the bar and we're bettering ourselves in every way. I'm about a quarter of the way into shooting and I can't wait to see it myself.
Q: Did you have to learn to ride a horse for "Seabiscuit"? What was that like? — Jo
Tobey Maguire: I had ridden a horse before for another movie called "Ride With the Devil," which probably none of you have seen, but this was a whole different skill, riding like a jockey, getting up on the stirrups. I trained a little with Chris McCarron, Hall of Fame jockey. It's very hard; it's a lot of work but it's a lot of fun. I love horses.
Q: I heard that you had to get down to jockey weight for "Seabiscuit." How did you do it? — Kena
Maguire: Well, I wasn't quite jockey weight. Jockeys have to ride under 115 pounds, and I think that would be pretty much impossible for me to do, definitely impossible to stay healthy in doing it. Diet and exercise, that's how I did it. A lot of cardio, some weights. I worked out on a thing called the Equisizer — which is a mechanical horse — to strengthen specifically for doing the things I had to do to play a jockey.
Q: After making "Seabiscuit," what do you think is the harder profession, being an actor or being a jockey? — Bailey
Maguire: I would say it's definitely harder being a jockey. Unlike other sports, they don't have a break in their season. Their season is 52 weeks a year, often seven days a week. Chris McCarron, who trained me, said he took his first five-day voluntary vacation after 20 years of riding seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. These guys are truly professional athletes.
Q: "Seabiscuit" was set in the 1930s and I just wanted to know what it was like making a period movie. Did you get to keep anything off the set? — Andrew
Maguire: I did not keep anything off of the set, but it was amazing just to learn about that era. The book which the movie was based on was a great read and really gave you the feeling of the era.
You follow the different story lines of the characters. Charles Howard, who's on the forefront of the car industry when it was growing at such a rapid rate, Tom Smith, who's like an old horse man who's out of his place as he's in new times and he's becoming obsolete, and my character, who's a victim of the Depression with his family. The book really set the tone. I think Gary Ross, who wrote the script and directed the movie, did a great job at capturing that. It was very interesting to learn about it.
Something I loved about making the movie was going to the track and seeing how the whole thing operates. I used to go to the track when I was a kid to watch the show. And that's what it was to me when I was a kid, it was like a big show, you know? Getting to go behind the scenes and see how it all comes together, how many people put in so much hard work was really fascinating for me.
Q: If you could jump on a tour bus with anyone, who would it be with and why? — Jaime
Maguire: That would probably be Radiohead because I really respect them. I've been to a couple of their shows and it's pretty great. They've been really consistent in making great music and I really feel like they are true artists and put all of themselves in their music, so it will be interesting to hang out with them.
Q: What was the very first concert that you ever went to? — Dan
Maguire: I don't know what the first one was, but definitely an earlier concert was seeing Michael Jackson in, I think, 1984 at Dodgers Stadium, way up in the bleachers. That was a good memory. I had a lot of fun.
Q: What CDs are in your car right now? — Adrian
Maguire: I can't recall what exactly I have in my changer right now, but The Beatles are always great. Stevie Wonder. I like Dr. Dre, Radiohead. Those make the rotation often.
Q: What actress or actor would you kill to work with right now? — Dulcenea
Maguire: Well, I probably wouldn't kill to work with anybody because that's a crime. But I have a lot of respect for Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman. I just worked with Chris Cooper and Jeff Bridges who are on "Seabiscuit," and they're fantastic actors. Chris Cooper was a real treat to work with so I'd love to work with those guys again.