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Tobey Maguire's Lunch Tray Scene In Spider-Man Took 156 Attempts To Get It Right

Tobey Maguire's Lunch Tray Scene In Spider-Man Took 156 Attempts To Get It Right

The whole thing was done without CGI and director Sam Raimi fought Sony to keep the scene in the final cut.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

The details behind Tobey Maguire's lunch tray scene in the original Spider-Man film have resurfaced on the eve of Tom Holland's No Way Home premiering.

It's an iconic moment in the 2002 movie because it's where we see Peter Parker coming to grips with his new powers.

It shows Tobey sitting in a cafeteria while his longtime crush Mary Jane (played by Kirsten Dunst) walks past him and slips on some liquid on the floor.

Horrified at the thought of his muse being hurt, he races to stop her from falling while also masterfully catching her lunch tray and everything that was on it.

We're talking a milk carton, a sandwich, an apple and a dessert; all in one tray.

But because we're used to computer generated imagery in films these days, it's easy to assume this was all done with clever camera trickery and everyone was able to move on to other scenes.

However, it was revealed in the DVD's commentary that this scene was done without CGI.

That means, Tobey had to catch Kirsten, the tray and all the food himself. You can only imagine how difficult that would be with all the cameras fixed on you, let alone making sure you're in shot the whole time.

According to Inside the Magic, Spider-Man director Sam Raimi fought Sony to keep the scene in the film because the studio thought it would take too long and too many resources to get it right.

Eventually, Tobey managed to perfect the shot.

Sony Pictures

Special effects artist John Dykstra revealed: "This gag when he catches all this stuff, he actually did that... take 156!"

One hundred and fifty six takes to get it right. Surely after 50 or 60 you'd get bored. But clearly Tobey wanted to make movie magic and he sure as hell pulled it off.

Apparently, they glued the actor's hand to the tray so that he didn't have to worry about it slipping away with the fast movements.

They also glued the food to their plates to ensure they didn't end up everywhere each time.

Then, all Tobey had to do was catch them in the right order and everything would be sweet.

It was fairly impressive considering they could have just CGIed the whole thing and no one would have been none the wiser. However, this small movie fact proves why Tobey was one of the best.

Featured Image Credit: Sony Pictures

Topics: Entertainment, Spider-Man