Shailene Woodley on Losing Mary Jane Role in 'Amazing Spider-Man 2'

Shailene Woodley has opened up about the moment she learned her scenes as Mary Jane Watson were removed from 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' (2014), a role she had already filmed alongside Andrew Garfield.

In a recent interview, the two-time Golden Globe nominee recalled that she had shot three scenes with Garfield's Peter Parker before receiving an unexpected phone call about a year later, informing her that she would not appear in the final cut.

Woodley described the casting as a dream come true, noting that Spider-Man was her favourite superhero and Mary Jane her favourite character while growing up. "When I got it, I was like, 'This is so exciting!'", she said.

According to Woodley, the decision was explained as being tied to the film's crowded roster of new characters and the unresolved storyline between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone. She was told the studio wanted to wait and see how that narrative played out before introducing Mary Jane.

"They were like, 'Let's wait for her to die, and then we'll introduce Mary Jane.' Which made sense, but then they didn't make that film," Woodley added, noting that no subsequent sequel materialised to reintroduce her character.

Woodley also acknowledged uncertainty about the official explanation, joking that her performance may have been the real reason. "Who knows what the truth is? I could have been terrible," she said.

Garfield's version of Spider-Man later appeared in 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021) alongside Tom Holland and Tobey Maguire. While Garfield has ruled out appearing in 'Avengers: Doomsday', he has expressed openness to returning to the character in a future project, provided it takes an unconventional approach.