Is Tobey Maguire Vegan? The Animal Lover Listens to His Spidey Senses
Tobey Maguire shares a love for both animals and the environment.
Published April 5 2024, 11:05 a.m. ET
Tobey Maguire attends the 'Babylon' Global Premiere Screening at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Actor Tobey Maguire starred in an episode Extrapolations, a 2023 Apple TV Plus miniseries that explored the impacts of the climate crisis — something that may have led fans to wonder if Maguire himself follows an eco-conscious or vegan lifestyle.
Fortunately for us, the Spider-Man star hasn't left behind a web of cryptic answers to untangle to reveal the truth. Keep reading below to learn all about Maguire's openness about his diet and why the actor is a great role model for aspiring eco-minded Earthlings.
Is Tobey Maguire vegan?
Yes, Tobey Maguire is a proud vegan. According to Viva!, Maguire adopted a vegetarian diet in 1992 and has maintained a vegan diet since 2009.
Even before becoming fully vegan, it appears that Maguire's compassion for animals has consistently extended from his diet to the car he drives and the clothes he wears.
In an April 2007 interview with Parade, Maguire told the magazine that both the interior of his car and his shoes were leather-free.
The magazine interview — conducted two years prior to Maguire adopting a vegan diet — described Maguire as an "ardent vegetarian" of 14 years as of 2007.
According to a PETA blog, Maguire held firm on his stance against leather, going so far as to send back a Mercedes-Benz with a leather interior that was provided to him while he filmed The Great Gatsby in Australia. Maguire requested the leather to be replaced with vinyl, and the production company reportedly obliged.
Here's what we know about Tobey Maguire's vegan diet.
Today, Natalie Portman is considered a beacon of vegan values, but according to a lesser-known story, it was actually through Maguire's kindness that Portman appears to have been introduced to how delicious a vegan meal can be.
According to a 2009 blog post by PETA blog, Portman was a fan of Maguire's personal vegan chef, who Maguire brought to the set of Brothers.
“I was like, ‘Um, could you make two of those?’ And I’d make a cute face, and they’d roll their eyes and give me another falafel,” Portman reportedly said, referring to the chef's vegan falafels. The actress went vegan herself in 2011.
And in 2022, Maguire's trainer Duffy Gaver spoke to Men's Health about how he trained Maguire to play Spider-Man 20 years earlier, when the actor was vegetarian. He recalls the actor drinking a lot of protein shakes — proving that you can get all the protein you need without meat and still bulk up.
If you are seeking to transition to a fully vegan diet, it's best to follow Maguire's compassionate advice from before he became vegan. In an interview with Parade, Maguire's thoughts were buoyed by a nonjudgmental attitude and centered around love for the animals.
"I'm close to being a vegan, but I'm not one, technically. I don't eat eggs, or nearly any dairy — no cheese or milk. I do eat honey, and a piece of milk chocolate here and there," Maguire told Parade in 2007.
"It's never really been that hard for me. I've never had any desire to eat meat. In fact, when I was a kid I would have a really difficult time eating meat at all," he continued. "It had to be the perfect bite, with no fat or gristle or bone or anything like that. I don't judge people who eat meat — that's not for me to say — but the whole thing just sort of bums me out."
