Maguire, born and reared in Santa Monica, began his career at age eight when he appeared in potato chip commericals. By 17, he had his own sitcom, Great Scott!, that ran for six episodes on the Fox network.

He claims the "acting bug is in his genes and once told an interviewer that his mother, a would-be actress, once offered him $100 to take drama classes instead of home economics in school.

Maguire has made guest appearances on a number of TV shows, including Walker, Texas Ranger, Roseanne, and Blossom. His film credits include This Boy's Life, Deconstructing Harry, The Ice Storm, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Working with Woody Allen on Deconstructing Harry, Maguire said, was "really intimidating.

"I thought I was going to be really cool, I don't know why, but then I went and met him for the first audition, and I completely fell to pieces," he said.

"You know, I've always been selective and my agent gave me trouble when I was fifteen years old because she'd say, 'Who do you think you are?' But I'd say, 'Yeah, but I don't want to compromise my intergrity.' She said,' You're crazy, you're fourteen, you need to work.'"

Witherspoon and Maguire are paired together in the new Gary Ross film, Pleasantville that opens October 23rd. They play a brother and sister who are suddenly transported from their 1990s world to a 1950s TV home, where their parents look and act like June and Ward Cleaver.

"We start disrupting their world, or Reese does, and I try to contain it," says Maguire. "Things go kind of crazy and lots of things happen.