28-year-old Tobey is no stranger to Hollywood stardom, having previously won critical acclaim for his performance in Wonder Boys, The Cider House Rules and The Ice Storm. Last year Maguire starred in the blockbuster hit Spider-Man, and is currently filming the sequel. His latest film, Seabiscuit, has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture and tells the true story of a racehorse that inspired a nation. Seabiscuit is out to own on DVD and VHS from 23 February 2004.
Things can go horribly wrong when you are on horseback, so at what point did you consider the risks involved?
I talked to Gary (Gary Ross, screenwriter, director and producer) about how all the horse racing was going to be done. I was on horse back and on a racehorse and I did get to go on the track and gallop the racehorse but I was never in the most dangerous situations. Not only would that have been dangerous for myself but also for the people around me. These guys were professional jockeys and I didn't belong in a tight pack with them. But to be honest with you I never really considered the risk involved. I guess it ran through my head but it never occurred to me to not do the film because of that.
As a result of the success of Seabiscuit and Spider-Man do you feel more secure in your position in the Hollywood pecking order?
I feel fine. I can be competitive in a healthy way, but I think I am more competitive in sporting things than in my career. I've always felt comfortable. I've never really had a tremendous amount of fear that I wasn't going to be able to work. Maybe even in a way I didn't deserve to have that attitude. But I am very grateful for my opportunities. It's a good thing to be able to work with people I want to work with. Here I get to work with Gary again and with Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper. That is what is amazing to me and I feel great about that. In terms of pecking order and other actors out there - listen, there are certain actors whose movies I look forward to seeing. So I feel fine about all that.
What about the stories that your role as Spider-Man in the sequel was threatened by a back problem?
What really happened was this - I had some discomfort that I have had for several years and it just goes up and down, depending on what I'm doing in terms of sports. If I'm playing lots of basketball or doing a lot of running it gets kind of aggravated. So before I was to do Spider-Man 2 I was getting some discomfort and I looked at the storyboard and saw that the number of stunts I was going to do was many times more difficult than the first Spider-Man movie. So I felt it was my responsibility to myself, my own health and the studio to say that I was a little concerned and wanted to be sure that I could do this stuff. The studio wanted to make sure too. So I went in and did some test days where I was testing myself and they were making sure I could do it. Then there were a few stories about this in the press and there you go...
Didn't you have an amusing encounter in Seabiscuit with one of your co-stars, the jockey Gary Stevens?
Gary Stevens who plays George Wolf in the movie was acting for the first time and I think he did a fantastic job. When we did a scene together in the jockeys' room he did such a good job on the one take that everyone was applauding him. Afterwards I went up to him and said that was really good but that I was aware that he did not really understand the ettiquette of how things work on set, and that he was going to have to tone down his performance a bit because he was stealing my thunder. He thought I was serious! He said that he was sorry and that it wouldn't happen again. But I told him that I was just messing with him. That kicked off a really friendly relationship for us and we would tease each other all the time - it was fun.
You lost weight for Seabiscuit - when was the last time you weighed just 115 pounds?
I don't know, it must have been 17 years ago. I got down to 140 pounds for this, never 115. I don't think that would be possible. It was tough but it was work and part of the character. So I got into it because it was necessary for me. But I look forward to a role in which physicality isn't part of it. But it was good doing this for Seabiscuit.
Of all the horses who played Seabiscuit which did you like working with the most?
It doesn't matter to me which horse in which. Thought I did ride one horse called Fighting Ferarri the most. I believe you develop a relationship but the horses are quite inter-changeable.
