The ‘Spider-Man’ scene that took 156 takes to capture
Although Tom Holland has established himself as the true modern Spider-Man, many fans still believe that Tobey Maguire delivered the definitive portrayal. Maguire’s earnest rendition of Peter Parker resonated with fans all over the world and is still routinely rewatched by many.
Of course, it helped that Maguire performed under the direction of the great Sam Raimi, whose Spider-Man trilogy is considered by many to be the greatest superhero film series of all time. It’s so good that even Martin Scorsese admitted to liking Raimi’s creation, even though he famously hates everything Marvel stands for.
Although Raimi recently returned to the world of superhero movies with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Spider-Man trilogy remains a completely unique addition to the genre. The first film, which came out in 2002, has been cited by many critics as the superhero movie that redefined the blockbuster potential of such movies.
In an interview, Raimi claimed that he spent a lot of time thinking about the casting choices for Peter Parker. According to the filmmaker, he met with multiple actors to discuss the role, but he felt that Maguire was the perfect fit. While physical attributes define many superhero roles, Raimi wanted a more realistic and relatable depiction.
He revealed: “I met with a number of great actors. Many turned down the role, and they were smart to, because their strengths sometimes were in being special people and portraying other special people on the screen. We needed somebody who was not Christopher Reeve, not extraordinarily tall and handsome, and that would turn heads. We needed somebody with a heart and soul that the audience could recognise themselves in.”
One of the reasons why Spider-Man worked was because of the dedication shown by Raimi and his team. One famous example is the cafeteria scene where Peter uses his newfound reflexes to save Mary Jane from slipping and falling while perfectly catching all the objects flung into the air. Although many thought it was CGI, the scene actually took 156 takes.
VFX head John Dykstra had this to say on the DVD commentary when the scene came up: “This next gag here, where he catches all this stuff, [Maguire] actually did that. Pretty good. Take 156.” Kirsten Dunst also pointed the same out: “Not CGI, by the way, that’s all Tobey, which is pretty impressive. They used sticky glue stuff to stick his hand to the tray.”
