Ever since Spider-Man actor Tobey Maguire's back injury called into question his participation in Spider-Man 2, there have been rumors about his willingness to continue to portray Peter Parker/Spider-Man in subsequent films.
Notoriously quiet about his private life and about
Spider-Man, Maguire opened up somewhat to
The Boston Globe about the rumor that he was reluctant to return for
Spider-Man 4:
"It’s not that I was reluctant. For me, it’s a big process to decide whether or not to do a role....I have to want to wake up in the morning and feel like I can’t wait to get to work. I’ve got to feel okay about leaving my kids for 12 or 13 hours a day for five months. It’s a big commitment."
Maguire went on to say that part of his decision to return to the role was that the script for
Spider-Man 4 allowed for the development of his character:
"Hopefully I’ll be able to evolve the character in a new direction. He’ll still be Peter Parker, but I hope I can move him forward a bit and take him to a place where there will be new challenges for me as an actor."