In ‘Spider-Man’, the coffee shop scene wasn’t CGI: That’s how Tobey Maguire pulled off his trick

Despite being released 22 years ago, “Spider-Man” remains one of the favorite films of superhero fans, who occasionally call for the return of the trio of Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, or at least . , Discover more secrets about the movies they made.

‘Spider-Man’: how the famous cafe scene between Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst was achieved

One of the most memorable scenes from Sam Raimi’s film occurs shortly after Peter Parker is bitten by a spider and begins to notice strange changes in his face.

The moment takes place in the school cafeteria. It begins with Mary Jane, played by Kirsten Dunst, slipping on some spilled juice. Peter not only stops Mary Jane from falling to the floor, but catches all the food she threw out of her tray as they fall.

Contrary to what many might assume, this amazing achievement was not the result of CGI. In the “Spider-Man” DVD commentary, John Dykstra, head of the film’s visual effects team, shared that there were no digital effects involved in Peter catching the food. It was all Tobey Maguire’s work and production. And quite painstaking: it took 156 takes and 16 hours of filming to achieve it. There is no record of how close they came to achieving it in any of the first 155, nor if there was a successful take ruined by the sheer surprise and exhilaration of the moment.

Kirsten Dunst confirmed this and added that they used sticky glue to stick Tobey’s hand to the tray and grab the objects without a problem. Things like jelly and sandwiches were stuck to their plates so all Tobey had to do was grab them all.

During those 16 hours, Raimi was embroiled in a fight with Sony over whether to keep the scene in the film. Sony felt the scene was too time-consuming and resource-intensive to pull off well. But Raimi stood his ground, unwilling to see this painstaking 16-hour marathon shoot go to waste.

The director’s struggle to keep the scene with Peter Parker grabbing Mary Jaime and a tray of food was worth it, because, as we mentioned, it became one of the most memorable scenes of “Spider-Man”.

How old was Tobey Maguire in ‘Spider-Man’?

The actor was 27 years old when he was chosen to don the Spider-Man suit in Sam Raimi’s first film. When “Spider-man 3” was released, he was already 32 years old.

When he reprized his role as Peter Parker in ‘No Way Home’, Tobey Maguire was 46 years old.

Where to watch the movie ‘Spider-Man’?

The film starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst is available to stream on HBO Max.

Did you know how the ‘Spider-Man’ scene in the cafeteria was made? Let us know in the comments if this behind-the-scenes detail impressed you.