Tobey Maguire: Journey From Deprived Childhood To Spider-Man And A Successful Poker Player

Actor Tobey Maguire is a tough nut to crack. After playing second-fiddle to his close friend Leonardo DiCaprio for several years, Maguire became a legitimate star with blockbuster Spider-Man films. But in recent years, the actor has rarely taken on roles. His last acting role came in 2014’s Pan Sacrifice.

But the actor certainly has an interesting journey. On his 47th birthday, let’s read how he emerged from a poor childhood, quietly developing a very successful career as a poker player.

Read Also: The Real Reason Why Tobey Maguire didn’t return for Spider-Man 4 Is This

“As a child, I was very poor,” he told The Guardian in 2013. “I mean, it’s all relative, but we used to get groceries from our neighbours. Though I always had a roof over my head, but I slept on a relative’s bed, and some night we wandered into the shelter. My family had these food stamps and government medical insurance. And I wanted to get out of it, so my ambition was to make money early.”

“Your brain is always occupied with worrying about what I’m going to eat or how I’m going to pay rent, which is something I’ve struggled with in life,” he said. “Once you don’t have to worry about the routine, it allows you to think about other things.”

Read Also: Spectacular Easter Egg From Spider-Man 3 Which Was Hidden Till Now

According to the Belfast Telegraph, he said while addressing his alcohol problem, “I started doing films in my late teens and early twenties and was well known, but I don’t think I was involved in any level of abnormality. I got sober at 19, and since 19 there is no excess in this regard.”

One reason why he has not played more film roles in recent years is that he has developed a career as a poker player. According to writer Houston Curtis, Maguire and his team played a large number of poker games before 2005 for Ben Affleck, DiCaprio and Matt Damon. Curtis estimates that Maguire “could have made $ 30 million to $ 40 million,” in just four years.

In fact, Maguire’s underground success in poker is so legendary that Player X’s character in the Molly’s Game is said to have been inspired by Maguire. Molly Bloom, the protagonist, was behind hosting most of the poker games in Hollywood before she was shut down by FBI.