Sep 17 2008Tobey Maguire Getting Well Reimbursed for Pretending to be Superhero
Sony is reportedly ready to pay Tobey Maguire $50 million to shoot Spider-Man 4 and 5 back-to-back, plus grant him mornings and evenings off to spend with his young daughter. From Times Online:
In a victory for working fathers in Hollywood, the actor Tobey Maguire has been granted “family time” with his young daughter as part of an unprecedented deal to star in the next two Spider-Man movies.Maguire was willing to shoot Spider-Man 4 and 5 back-to-back over six months next year but insisted he should take early mornings and evenings off so he could play with his “favourite blonde”, Ruby Sweetheart, who is 22 months old.
This arrangement does not sit well with Steve McQueen's wife Barbara, who for some reason was asked about it:
Some critics have mocked the current generation of Hollywood actors as “boy-men”. Steve McQueen’s widow Barbara said she could not imagine him asking for “family time” when making The Great Escape.
Firstly, why are you, Steve McQueen's widow Barbara, addressing the issue of if Steve McQueen is more manly than Tobey Maguire? Even if we assume for a moment that it's not plain to everyone that Steve McQueen is obviously manlier than Tobey Maguire, who gives a shit? Who is comparing Bullitt to the weird kid from Wonderboys? Did she call someone to say this? Did someone call her? I can't figure out why I would ever see the words "Steve McQueen's widow Barbara" if I'm neither reading an article about Steve McQueen nor Steve McQueen's widow Barbara.
Secondly, how is demanding time with your family during a half-year film shoot a reflection of manliness? He's not asking for pedicures and water bottled in diamonds. He's just saying, "Look, Sony. I don't really care to spend another six months of my life making two more Spider-Man movies when the last one was awful, especially when I'm raising a two-year-old daughter. But if you want to pay me an insane amount of money, plus meet my demands of allowing me to raise my child a bit every day, fine, I'll do it."
I'm just saying, sure, Tobey Maguire is undoubtedly less manly than Steve McQueen, but let's not act like taking money from a studio and wanting family time is the best indicator of that. It's more that he looks like a geeky little wiener.

Reader Comments
1. the sysop - September 17, 2008 10:39 AM
first! i'm on fiyire. spiderman 3 ruined my life
2. Bobeyo - September 17, 2008 10:42 AM
I won't watch anymore Spiderman movies. Not after that last one. Just forget it.
3. Jeff - September 17, 2008 10:49 AM
The biggest difference with this generation of actors? What's going to happen next is Tobey Maguire's baby-mama will inevitably be asked about Steve McQueen's Ex...
4. Sir Robbie Rob - September 17, 2008 10:51 AM
I'm definitely not in a hurry to see another Spider-Man. The fact they are planning on doing them back to back mean if one sucks they are both going to suck.
5. Elmo - September 17, 2008 11:08 AM
NO he's kinda cute in a nervous 20+ year old teenager kind of way but he tries to be badass and.... eww
6. Comradebigmouth - September 17, 2008 11:09 AM
Ruby Sweetheart?
He shouldn't be allowed a child in the first place, let alone be able to see her!
7. Elmo - September 17, 2008 11:30 AM
@6
Oh my god I just noticed that- it's like 7 in the morning where I am *_*
when did the kid have a kid?
8. Comradebigmouth - September 17, 2008 11:36 AM
@ 7
Could be worse, she might not have a father worth Millions and Millions of Dollars!
I bet he's a Scientologist.
9. TetraShiva - September 17, 2008 11:36 AM
I completely agree with that entire article.
Not so much with the idea of seeing these films.
10. JL - September 17, 2008 11:38 AM
You guys are dicks. The spider man movies are not as good as they could be because of the bad director and studio. What the hell is your problem with Tobey McGuire, anyway? Sure, he's dorky and looks more like a teenager than a 30-year-old, but he's a father and obviously enjoys being one and spending time with his daughter. That is a very manly quality. Appreciating life and the crucial developmental years of children is a wonderful thing and should be considered a learning experience for all involved, not just down-played as a job for stay-at-home moms.
You ever see those "funny" videos where beer-bellied dads are gagging at the smell of their babies' shit while changing a daiper. Those guys are pussies. And so is anyone who thinks being a man is done in making fun of guys for being a little sentimental. FUCK YOU.
11. allen - September 17, 2008 11:48 AM
Hmmm.
Tobey stands up to his bosses, makes huge demands, knowing that they will bow to his whim and whimsy and he's not as much of a man as McQueen?
Tobey asks for the time to do what? Sleep in? Carouse?
No, he wants to be a better father. This also makes him a good man.
So, shut the fuck up. A real man isn't someone who's afraid of changing diapers, fucks a lot of starlets and drinks to excess.
This isn't 1973. Tobey just proved that he was a man and whomever went to talk to Widow McQueen and reported it here buy into the basest sterotypes and gender roles.
You just lost a reader.
12. Eville1 - September 17, 2008 11:52 AM
@10:
Bad director? Sam Raimi? You know absolutely nothing about the making of a movie. And I could give two shits about Towheads personal life. He sucks as an actor. Period, plain and simple. So he has a kid? So what? That means jack shit when we're talking about HOW MUCH SPIDER MAN 3 ATE MY BALLS. Get over yourself.
13. momboelitist - September 17, 2008 12:01 PM
John Wayne never took a day off, from the time he started making movies until he died. That includes the time that he had to keep coming back up to Lucy and Ricky's hotel room (where little Ricky never appears). In fact, that's why they called him "Duke".....Or, maybe not.
Actually, didn't Steve McQueen die on an island with Dustin Hoffman?
14. heath ledger is dead - September 17, 2008 12:20 PM
Heath Ledger would make a good spider man. I hear he available. String him up like a mariennette
15. Elmo - September 17, 2008 12:28 PM
fuck you #14
16. ALLEN IS A DICK - September 17, 2008 12:38 PM
@ ALLEN: Are you stupid? The article is actually ON his side; it says, sure, he's not that manly, but what the fuck is being a good dad got to do with manliness and why is some stupid bitch no one cares about giving an interview about it...?
Did you even read the article to the end? You say they lost a reader, but every comment you made was fucking retarded. Here's a direct quote: Secondly, how is demanding time with your family during a half-year film shoot a reflection of manliness?
I hate when idiotic cocksuckers try and take a stand when they don't even know--or apparently underSTAND--the facts... Go die along with these sequels
P.S if there are any more scenes of these little bitches crying all throughout the next two films I might have to shoot someone...
17. Jay - September 17, 2008 12:40 PM
Spiderman is ok except for the teen angst BS. If I wanted to watch a girly-man zuper hero fret about his tortured soul I'd watch soap opera. Maybe this time he'll grow some stones and actually quit acting like a wuss, but I doubt it.
18. JL - September 17, 2008 12:57 PM
@12,
Yeah, that's right. Sam Raimi is a shitty director. I enjoyed the Evil Dead movies as much as anyone else. However, you can't argue that they are really even good movies, even by low budget standards. And you say that Spider Man 3 "ATE YOUR BALLS"? Really? So you admit that Raimi's attempt at directing munches cock? That's more like it. You know what else? He produces twice as much shit as he directs. Boogeyman, Hercules(tv), Xena(tv), The Grudge, The Messengers. Does he have any taste at all? NO.
@14,
Very tasteful, dickhead.
@16,
Being a good father has a lot to do with manliness, r-tard.
19. TetraShiva - September 17, 2008 1:14 PM
The internet sure is full of tough people.
Lighten up.
I say we string up Heath Ledger's corpse as the next Spiderman villain, then Steve McQueen's corpse for the 5th film. All while Sam Raimi has a face off with Michael Bay and Uwe Bowl to see who can do the worst film of all time. THEN we have a manly baby diaper changing contest, with spiked diapers!
Damn... lighten up people.
20. JL - September 17, 2008 2:18 PM
Uwe Boll already won that contest with "In the Name of the King", dude. If the contest were to see who could make the most bad movies, he would also win that.
Seriously, is Uwe Boll retarded or something?
And really, people, it isn't funny to talk about stringing up corpses and featuring them as villians in horrible movies.
21. Dr. - September 17, 2008 2:32 PM
For the love of god and for the sake of the movie. PLEEEEEASE get someone else to be Spidey. Tobey sucks big time and while I like Spiderman, I will not watch him in 4 or 5. And Dunst is ugly as fuck. Can't believe she was cast as MJ.
22. Gay For Spidey - September 17, 2008 3:35 PM
You fuckin faggots know you'll be dressed in your Spidey costumes, waiting in line to see the next one on opening night.
You'll be bitching about how Electro's mask is cobalt blue and not midnight blue.
You'll be in the theater with your cams, making bootlegs to take home and cut up to make tributes on Youtube, incorporating your piss poor taste in music to scenes you feel werent accurately captured by the director.
You'll be filling message boards with how the film wasn't how you'd do it, but you'll take it until you can get to Hollywood in a few years and do it justice yourself.
So, go ahead and tell us all how you won't lower yourself to see or talk about the next film, but we all know you'll be wrapped in your Spiderman blankets, watching the countdown screensaver on your computer in your parents basement, waiting for it to come out.
23. a clockwork orange sherbet - September 17, 2008 4:02 PM
My favorite part of spider man 3, was the dance scene! you know the one from the mask. That one! and the singing, and venom not having his own head but just topher graces. Those were my favorite parts of spider man. and killing myself that too.
24. Bobeyo - September 17, 2008 4:39 PM
...and how little you got to see of Spider-Man, and how much of Tobey and that god-awful vampire-toothed hag they got to play Mary-Jane! And how the badguy was a crybaby, and Spider-Man had emo hair when wearing the black suit. And how the whole plot played out like a bad soap opera musical with a few superheroes occasionally!
25. Sean - September 17, 2008 6:29 PM
First of all Spider-Man 3 did not suck. It just wasn't as good as 2. But that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who plays Spider-Man or Peter Parker. What matters is we get to see the guy swinging around New York and kicking villain ass. Any number of actors could take Toby's place. Or Raimii's. But if he wants more time to be a good father, sounds good to me. Would have been nice if my dad did the same thing. If he had spent more time with me as a kid, I might not give a such a shit about super hero movies and responding to this blog. I'm 33 for Christ's Sakes!!
26. Amy - September 17, 2008 10:21 PM
"Spiderman is ok except for the teen angst BS." I lol'd - isn't that kinda the whole point of Spider-Man, and Marvel's success?
The first Spider-Man flick was decent, the second just average, and I haven't seen the third one. However, Wonder Boys is the Best. Movie. Ever. I'm just sayin'.
27. JL - September 18, 2008 10:18 AM
Okay, first of all,
@ Gay for Spidey #22,
That is a very articulate speculation. Are you getting this from personal experience?
Secondly,
Why are so many people down on Kirsten Dunst? I think she's cute.
28. blahblah - September 18, 2008 2:44 PM
yeah and thanks Tobey for the soon to be drive up on ticket prices so you can afford that "whatever it is" you dont need