Yahoo News ‘Spider-Man’ Star Tobey Maguire Was “Practically Suffocating” During Iconic Upside-Down Kiss
The upside-down kiss in Spider-Man is one of the most iconic moments in any superhero film — and it was one of the most unpleasant to shoot for star Tobey Maguire.
The Sam Raimi Marvel Comics film from Columbia Pictures, which helped usher in the blockbuster superhero era, turned 20 on Tuesday.
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One of the most memorable moments in Spider-Man was the scene where Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) kisses Spidey after he saves her from being attacked in a New York City alley.
In a previous interview, Maguire explained that while it may have looked both cool and romantic, the scene was thoroughly uncomfortable and even somewhat dangerous.
“There was rain pouring down my nose … and then Kirsten pulls the mask up to [my nose] and it’s blocking the air passage there, so I couldn’t breathe,” the said. “And then she’s kissing me, blocking the air passage there, so there’s nowhere else to breathe.”
Maguire noted that he was “practically suffocating” in the moment and had to take quick, short breaths out of the side of his mouth.
“It was really tough, actually,” he said. “It was really challenging. They’d yell cut, and I would be [gasping for air], totally out of breath. It was torture. It makes you realize how important oxygen is.”
Still, the kiss, like the rest of the film, became iconic, thereby leading Spider-Man to become the first motion picture to reach $100 million in a single weekend.
It was thanks to Spider-Man and 2000’s X-Men that films based on comic book characters were finally seen by studios as not only viable but as potentially massive tentpoles. Maguire would play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in two more films before the franchise was retooled with Andrew Garfield. Then it was Tom Holland’s turn to step into the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And then it happened: All three Spider-Man actors appeared onscreen together in last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Sony-Marvel chapter became the highest-grossing film of 2021 and the sixth-highest-grossing film of all time.
Watch the retro Maguire interview below.
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