ARTICLES
'Spider-Man' star spent young years in Clark County
The Columbian - Vancouver, WA August 5th, 2002
By Mike Bailey
Everyone knows Superman honed his skills as a young man in Smallville and Batman grew up in and became a defender of Gotham. But how many know that Spider-Man’s pre-teen years were spent in Vancouver.
Long before he learned to cast a web over the bad guys, the actor who made “Spider-Man” a box office bonanza in this year’s hit movie once called Vancouver home.
Tobey Maguire moved to Vancouver at the age of 2 with his parents and went to several local elementary schools before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 12, according to Jeff Brown, Maguire’s uncle who lives in Vancouver.
The star of “Cider House Rules,” “Pleasantville” and “Spider-Man,” still makes occasional treks to Vancouver to visit his relatives, including grandmother Joan Brown, as well as an aunt and nephews.
Maguire’s parents, Vincent and Wendy, moved to Vancouver at the urging of Brown, who owns a contracting company. He convinced the Maguires the city had more to offer than Salem, Ore., their first choice after leaving Santa Monica, Calif.
The Maguires divorced not long after they moved to Vancouver, and Tobey lived at times with his mother and father, as well as staying with his aunt and grandmother.
“Tobey could have gone a lot of ways, but he handled everything very well,” Brown said. Brown’s so proud of his nephew that he has photos mounted on a poster at his booth for his contracting business at the Clark County Fair. The headline on the poster reads “My Nephew” with an arrow pointing to a large photo of Spider-Man from the movie. The poster also has photos of Tobey as a boy as well as some taken in recent years during his visits here.
“Tobey was one of the most affectionate kids I know,” Brown said “And he was one of those kids who was so full of energy. But he also was a very sophisticated child. I remember having a garage sale once, and he was just a little boy, but he walked right up to people who came in the yard and said, ‘Can I help you folks today?’ Very mature even at that young age.”
Maguire doesn’t visit Vancouver as often as he used to now that he’s in such demand. He often brings friends with him when he does make it back.
Sara Gilbert (Darlene, the youngest daughter on the television show “Roseanne”) is a close friend and was in Vancouver a few years ago with Maguire.
“It was around Christmas and (Gilbert) even went shopping at Vancouver Mall to buy gifts for my nephews,” Jeff Brown said. “She stopped to ask a clerk about something, and he just stood there and stared at her. She’s used to being recognized, of course, so she asked again and got the same blank stare. “Finally the guy’s only response to her was, ‘What are you doing here?’”
The Northwest is a favorite getaway for Maguire, according to Brown. He often vacations with Leonardo DiCaprio (a pal from the days when bother were unknowns) in Ashland, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., and has shown Spider-Man co-star Kirsten Dunst the region.
Maguire is the toast of the media after his blockbuster movie this year. IN interviews with magazines ranging form People to GQ, he has talked of his early years, including those spend in Vancouver.
In addition to Vancouver, Brown said Maguire lived in Battle Ground and Ashland, Ore., before he and his mother moved to Los Angeles to pursue and acting career.
Brown remembers the day his sister told him she was taking Maguire to Hollywood.
“I told her it was a crazy thing to do,” Brown said. “I didn’t think there was a chance that (Tobey becoming an actor) would happen, and I was afraid she was doing this because it was something she had wanted for herself and was going to get Tobey in it because of that.
“She’s a strong-willed person, and I think my objections madder her more determined to do it.”
Looking back, Brown is glad his sister didn’t listen to him.
Maguire, 27, recently purchased a home in Beverly Hills reportedly worth $3.5 million and he stands to earn more than $20 million if there are two more sequels to “Spider-Man.”
But this tale easily could have had a different ending. It all turned on a $100 bill.
“I remember Tobey wasn’t sold on acting when he got to Los Angeles and was even thinking about being a chef, like his father,” Brown said. Maguire reportedly was ready to enroll in a home economic class in high school.
“His mom bribed him with a $100 bill,” Brown said. “She said it was his if he would take acting classes instead. He took the money and the rest is history.