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Tobey Maguire, now 28, was well on his way to a successful acting
career when he began to question everything about his life. The
answers he came up with completely changed his perspective.
“As an actor, you can come to believe that one job can change
everything,” said Tobey Maguire. “But I decided early on not to live
like that. I definitely wanted to be a successful actor, but I
wasn’t going to wait for it to alter my life. I knew that was not
going to be the magic solution to my happiness.”
Already one of the most highly regarded actors of his generation,
Maguire first gained critical recognition as a teenager coping with
a dysfunctional family in The Ice Storm. He went on to win praise
playing other confused young men in Pleasantville, The Cider House
Rules and Wonder Boys. Last year, he became a household name when he
donned a spandex suit and mask in Spider-Man, for which he is now
shooting a sequel. This week, he broadens his ranger further as Red
Pollard—a tough as nails, one-eyed jockey—in the new film
Seabiscuit, the story of one of America’s most colorful racehorses.
Maguire identified with the character of Pollard: “I related to him
in that he’s someone who persevered—as well as someone who protected
himself emotionally, because of trust and abandonment issues—before
he finally blossomed as a human being.”
Maguire was born in Santa Monica. His mother was only 18, his father
was 20, and their marriage broke up when Tobey was 3. “Both of them
loved having me and were also willing to let the other have time
with me,” he said. He spent his childhood bouncing from one home to
another—in California, Oregon, Washington—staying with either
parent, as well as a succession of relatives. “I can’t remember why
I moved every time, or why I lived with any particular relative.”
“There were times when I moved three or four times in a school
year,” he added. “I remember, when I started sixth grade, I would
get sick and throw up almost every morning. I was having a lot of
anxiety. Despite all that, I had people who loved me. Though my
parents may have been irresponsible by moving me around, they always
tried to support my growth as an intelligent, creative human being.”
At the same time, money was a constant problem. Maguire’s father
worked in construction and as a cook, and his mother held office
jobs. “for most of my childhood, I remember my parents struggling,”
he said. “My mom and I were on welfare for a time.”
It was his mother who encouraged him to try acting. “In junior high,
I had an elective class and I was going to take home economics—I
liked cooking, and I thought it would be fun.” said Maguire, who’s
now a vegetarian. “My mother said ‘Why don’t you take drama?’. To
convince me she pulled out a $100 bill and offered it to me. I don’t
know what her motivation was, but I agreed to take the class.”
Maguire ended up enjoying acting and later got parts in commercials
and small roles on TV shows. “When I got a job, I remember jumping
up and down with excitement.” He said. “It was a great sense of
accomplishment—and also the fact that I was going to make some
money.”
His promising career and nomadic experience with schools led Maguire
to drop out after the ninth grade. Acting provided the sense of
community he had always missed: “I would see a lot of the same kids
at the auditions, and we’d become friendly.” One of those friends,
Leonardo DiCaprio, helped Maguire get his first film role. “We were
both auditioning for the same part in This Boy’s Life,” he recalled,
“and agreed that whoever got it would try to get the other one in
the movie. Leo got the part, and I ended up doing two scenes in the
film.”
That same year, he landed the lead in Great Scott!, a short-lived TV
series. You’d expect an ambitious young actor to exploit such sudden
visibility. But Maguire stopped acting at 18 and spent months in a
kind of philosophical retreat, questioning himself. “What I finally
resolved,” he explained, “was that success wasn’t the only thing. I
am an actor, sure. But it’s not who I am. It’s what I do. This
understanding has enabled me to live my life.”
For the last 10 years, Maguire hasn’t wanted for work. With the
success of Spider-Man, he now earns $17 million a picture. “As I’ve
made more money, I’ve never taken on an extravagant lifestyle, which
would put me in a position where I’d have to take a job for money,”
he said evenly. “I love the freedom this gives me. It’s an amazing
luxury. But my happiness isn’t based on it.” Freedom does have
consequences, however: Maguire recently acknowledged a drinking
problem and has joined Alcoholics Anonymous.
When he’s not acting, Maguire goes to Lakers games and hangs out
with friends or his girlfriend, Jennifer Meyer, with whom nuptials
are rumored. He remains close to his parents but is clear that when
the time comes to start a family, he will not move around the way
they did. But Maguire doesn’t look back. “I’ve lived a full life in
my 28 years,” he said. “All that I’ve gone through informs who I am
today. I wouldn’t change anything.”
© Tom Seligson, Parade |
