Shailene Woodley recently shared her experience of learning that her role as Mary Jane Watson in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" had been cut from the final film. Woodley, who was slated to star opposite Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, revealed in an interview with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation that she didn't find out about the removal until approximately a year after filming. "That was a fun phone call," she said, describing the moment she was informed her scenes would not be included.
Woodley expressed her initial excitement about being cast in the role, noting that Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson were her favorite superhero and character, respectively, growing up. She and Garfield filmed what she believed to be about three scenes together, anticipating their inclusion in the 2014 movie. However, she was later informed, "So, you're not in the movie anymore."
According to Woodley, the explanation provided was that the film had introduced many new characters, and the studio wanted to focus on the relationship between Garfield's character and Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy. Woodley speculated that the decision might also have been due to her performance, quipping, "I could have been terrible, and they were like, ‘We can’t do this.'"
Her character, Mary Jane Watson, was reportedly intended to be introduced after the death of Gwen Stacy. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" concluded with Gwen Stacy's death during a confrontation with the villain Harry Osborn, played by Dane DeHaan. Following the film's release, plans for a third installment starring Garfield were ultimately scrapped.
Garfield initially took on the role of Peter Parker in the 2012 film "The Amazing Spider-Man," with Emma Stone as his on-screen love interest. Garfield later reprised his role as Spider-Man in the 2021 film "Spider-Man: No Way Home," appearing alongside Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland, who also portrayed the superhero in different film iterations. In the current "Spider-Man" franchise, Zendaya plays Mary Jane Watson opposite Tom Holland.