With over a month having passed since the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the film's three biggest stars - Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire - are finally breaking their silence on the most epic of Marvel team-ups, and for the first time, we finally get to hear Maguire speak about his long-awaited return as the original big-screen Peter Parker.
Speaking with Deadline, during a group interview, Maguire spilled the beans on his top-secret meeting with producers Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige and what it was about their passionate pitch that ultimately convinced him to come on board as the original Spider-Man.
"In that conversation, the intention, the kind of love and celebration of these movies and what it meant, I think, to Amy and Kevin was apparent, and to me, when artists or, you know, people who are steering the creative process have a kind of authentic, genuine intent of celebration and love, it just was so apparent in both of them, that, I don’t know, I just wanted to join that. And I’m a big fan of Tom and those movies and Andrew. So, it was definitely intriguing, but yes, I was also going, ‘well, what are we going to do? And that was a bit mysterious.”
"I did appreciate what was shared, but, it was really about getting together with these people and revisiting what was part of my history and getting a chance to come together. There are personal things too, which are kind of resolutions or a way to revisit and - I'm not quite sure how to put it, just to get back into that and, I don't want to say like close the chapter, but revisit and have certain resolutions and just join in this loving creative spirit"
Interestingly, Maguire seems to make a point of saying that he didn't necessarily see No Way Home as him closing the chapter on his version of Spider-Man, opting instead to say that he saw this film as an opportunity to revisit the Spider-Verse while bringing some specific resolutions for himself, this character, and for the fans that grew up across the globe admiring the Raimi films.
Whether this means we could potentially see more of him - possibly even in Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - remains to be seen.
As for getting back into his iconic costume, he explains how emotional and rewarding it was for him to be able to suit up alongside both of his successors and to share this incredible experience with the only two people in the world that knew what it was like to put on that suit.
"It was uncomfortable getting it on and then it's a goof, and then it also has a power, in a sense, because it brings me back into that character. It really does. There's so much affinity for this character, it means so much to so many people that once the goofiness of being in lycra or spandex goes away, you're like 'Oh wow. This is cool.' This is a responsibility, but a blessing, like something that I get to do that I'm grateful for. Honestly, being with these guys, it really was just a much, much richer experience than I anticipated or that I could really even express in words.
Just to get to be there with these guys in their suits and whether it was us dancing around or playing around in scenes and improvising or feeling that sense of service to each other and the character, being in service to humanity. It really gives a certain perspective. I just felt super safe and like we were all on the same team and all in support of each other and it just brought out this, I don't know how to put it other than just like this really loving, fun creative experience. I was just sitting in gratitude every day, which is not always the case when you're working on something even just from the standpoint of trying to figure out what you're doing and it wasn't without its challenges, but it all just unfolded the way it needed to. It had a sense of this kind of destiny to it as well so I guess the suit was the doorway to that."
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters worldwide!