The Shailene Woodley Mary Jane scenes in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 were filmed with Andrew Garfield, but she learned about a year later that they had been removed from the film.
Shailene Woodley Mary Jane scenes were cut
Woodley discussed the role in a recent SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations interview, covered by Variety. She said Mary Jane was her “dream” role because Spider-Man was her favourite superhero and Mary Jane was her favourite character growing up.
She recalled filming “like three scenes” with Garfield, who played Peter Parker in Marc Webb’s two-film series. About a year later, the production told her she was no longer in the film.
Woodley said the explanation was that the film had introduced too many new characters and that the story would wait until after Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy storyline. The plan was to bring Mary Jane into a later film after Gwen’s death, but that follow-up was never made.
Why Mary Jane was removed from The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The original IGN report said Sony had moved Woodley’s scenes to the next film after announcing plans for a third and fourth instalment. The film eventually arrived in cinemas in May 2014 without her scenes.
Woodley also left room for doubt about the production’s explanation. “Well, that’s what I was told, you know,” she said, according to Variety. “But again, who knows what the truth is. I could have been terrible and they’re like, ‘We can’t do this.’”
Producer Matt Tolmach offered a less personal explanation at the film’s 2014 premiere. As Variety reported at the time, he said the production had “bit off more story than we could tell” and had been working from a 148-page script.
Woodley’s version of Mary Jane therefore remained on the cutting-room floor, alongside a planned continuation of the Garfield-era Spider-Man films. Kirsten Dunst had previously played the character in Sam Raimi’s trilogy, while the role was later recast for other Spider-Man film series.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is available through digital rental and purchase platforms in some markets, although availability varies by country.
Andrew Garfield has said he would only return as Spider-Man for a very different story, while Sony’s current film series has moved on to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.
Sources
- IGN’s original report on Shailene Woodley’s Mary Jane scenes
- Variety’s 2026 report on Woodley’s interview
- Variety’s 2014 report quoting producer Matt Tolmach
Did Shailene Woodley play Mary Jane in The Amazing Spider-Man 2?
No. Woodley filmed scenes as Mary Jane Watson, but they were removed before the film was released in May 2014.
Why were Shailene Woodley’s Mary Jane scenes cut?
Woodley said she was told the film had too many new characters and would introduce Mary Jane after Gwen Stacy’s storyline. Producer Matt Tolmach separately said the production had more story than it could fit.
How many Mary Jane scenes did Shailene Woodley film?
Woodley said she filmed roughly three scenes with Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker.
