Shailene Woodley came remarkably close to becoming Mary Jane Watson in a Spider-Man franchise, but audiences never got to see her version of the character. More than 12 years after The Amazing Spider-Man 2 reached theatres, Woodley has opened up about the disappointment of discovering that the scenes she filmed with Andrew Garfield had been removed from the movie.
The actor was originally cast as Mary Jane for Marc Webb’s sequel, which arrived in May 2014 with Garfield returning as Peter Parker and Emma Stone playing Gwen Stacy. Woodley filmed several scenes for the movie and expected to appear in the finished version, only to receive a very different update roughly a year later. During a recent SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations interview, she recalled being told that she was no longer part of the film.
“That was a fun phone call,” Woodley said while looking back at the experience. The disappointment went deeper than simply losing screen time in a major superhero movie, as she explained that Spider-Man had been her favourite superhero growing up and Mary Jane was the character she particularly loved. Getting the role had initially felt like the fulfilment of a childhood ambition.
Mary Jane Was A Dream Role For Shailene Woodley
Woodley recalled what being selected by director Marc Webb meant to her at the time. She said, “was my dream because I really, oh my god, Spider-Man’s my favorite superhero. Mary Jane was my favorite character growing up. So, when I got it, I was like, ‘This is so exciting.’” That personal connection made what happened after filming considerably harder to process.
According to Woodley, she and Garfield had already completed a small number of scenes together before she learned that the character was being removed. She recalled, “like three scenes together, me and Andrew Garfield. And then like a year later, they were like, ‘So, you’re not in the movie anymore.’ And I was like, ‘What? What do you mean?’ And they were like, ‘We’ve introduced a lot of new characters in this last one, and we’re going to wait for… whatever happens between [Emma Stone’s character, Gwen Stacy, who is Peter Parker’s girlfriend in the film] and Andrew.”
The reasoning becomes clearer when viewed alongside the events of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Gwen remains Peter Parker’s central romantic relationship throughout the film before dying during its climactic confrontation. Introducing Mary Jane at the same time could have complicated a storyline that was intended to place Peter and Gwen’s relationship at the emotional centre of the sequel.
Woodley said she was subsequently told, “’Let’s wait for [Gwen Stacy] to die and then we’ll introduce Mary Jane.’ Which made sense. But then they didn’t make that film.” The plan therefore appears to have been to save Mary Jane for a later chapter, where she could enter Peter’s life after Gwen rather than competing for space in an already crowded sequel.
That later movie never materialised. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ultimately became Garfield’s final standalone Spider-Man film, meaning Woodley never received another opportunity to play the Mary Jane she had already begun bringing to the screen.
Why The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Cut Mary Jane
Woodley understands the explanation she received, although she acknowledged that actors do not necessarily know every discussion happening behind the scenes. She said, “Well, that’s what I was told, you know. But again, who knows what the truth is. I could have been terrible and they’re like, ‘We can’t do this.’” Her comment brought some humour to an experience that clearly came as a surprise when it happened.
There is, however, a contemporaneous explanation from one of the film’s producers that supports the idea that story structure was the main concern. At the New York premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014, producer Matt Tolmach addressed Woodley’s deleted material and explained that the filmmakers had simply attempted to fit too much into the sequel.
Tolmach said at the time, “We bit off more story than we could tell. We had a 148-page script. We were in the middle of that, and we realized this story [with Mary Jane] is not going to be in this movie.” His explanation fits with the finished film, which was already balancing Peter and Gwen’s relationship alongside Electro, Harry Osborn, the Osborn family storyline and Peter’s continuing search for answers about his parents.
Removing Mary Jane allowed the filmmakers to avoid introducing another major relationship that could not receive enough development. It also preserved Gwen’s importance to Peter’s story before the film reached her tragic ending. From a storytelling perspective, the decision had a clear logic, even if it meant completely removing an actor who had already filmed her scenes.
What makes Woodley’s experience more unusual is that she was not simply considered for Mary Jane or attached to the project during development. She actually filmed material as the character opposite Garfield. Somewhere within the production history of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, therefore, exists a version of Peter Parker’s story where audiences would have received their first introduction to Woodley’s Mary Jane.
A Spider-Man Future That Never Happened
Mary Jane Watson had already become one of the most recognisable characters associated with Spider-Man on film before Woodley was cast. Kirsten Dunst played Mary Jane opposite Tobey Maguire throughout Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy, making her a central figure in Peter Parker’s cinematic story during the 2000s.
Webb’s films took a different route by making Gwen Stacy the primary romantic interest for Garfield’s Peter. Stone’s chemistry with Garfield became an important element of both The Amazing Spider-Man movies, while the second film adapted one of the most famous tragedies associated with Gwen in Spider-Man history. Mary Jane was apparently intended to become more important only after that chapter had concluded.
That plan was disrupted when the franchise changed direction following The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The intended continuation starring Garfield did not move forward, and Sony subsequently reached an agreement that brought a new version of Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Tom Holland taking over the role. Garfield eventually returned years later in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but Woodley’s Mary Jane remained part of the abandoned version of the franchise.
Woodley, meanwhile, continued building a career far removed from what might have happened had she joined the Spider-Man series permanently. Her credits include The Descendants, The Fault in Our Stars, the Divergent films, Dumb Money and HBO’s Big Little Lies. During her nearly 90-minute SAG-AFTRA Foundation conversation, she also discussed those performances as well as her work in the second season of Hulu’s Paradise.
More than a decade later, the story remains an intriguing Spider-Man “what if.” Woodley landed a character she had loved since childhood, filmed scenes opposite Garfield and was positioned to become part of Peter Parker’s life after Gwen Stacy. A creative decision pushed that introduction into the future, and the cancellation of the planned continuation ensured that future never arrived.
Shailene Woodley’s Spider-Man Role: FAQs
Who did Shailene Woodley play in The Amazing Spider-Man 2?
Shailene Woodley was cast as Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. She filmed several scenes opposite Andrew Garfield, but her material was removed before the movie reached theatres.
Why was Shailene Woodley cut from The Amazing Spider-Man 2?
Woodley said she was told that the movie had introduced several new characters and that the filmmakers wanted to wait until after Gwen Stacy’s story before introducing Mary Jane. Producer Matt Tolmach also said in 2014 that the production had “bit off more story” than it could fit into the film.
How many Spider-Man scenes did Shailene Woodley film?
Woodley recalled filming “like three scenes” with Andrew Garfield. Those scenes ultimately did not appear in the theatrical version of The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Was Shailene Woodley supposed to return as Mary Jane?
According to Woodley’s account, the intention was to delay Mary Jane’s introduction until after Gwen Stacy’s death. However, the planned continuation of Garfield’s Spider-Man series never happened, so Woodley did not return to the role.
Who played Mary Jane before Shailene Woodley was cast?
Kirsten Dunst famously played Mary Jane Watson opposite Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Woodley was later selected to portray a different version of the character in Marc Webb’s Spider-Man franchise.
What did Shailene Woodley say about being cast as Mary Jane?
Woodley described getting the role as a dream because Spider-Man was her favourite superhero and Mary Jane was her favourite character growing up. She remembered initially reacting to the casting by saying, “This is so exciting.”
