Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst gave one of Hollywood's most memorable kisses in 2002's Spider-Man, but it was kind of miserable to shoot. Dunst, who played the role of Mary Jane Watson in director Sam Raimi's trilogy on the web-slinger, said they wanted the moment to be special on-screen even when she felt like she was 'resuscitating' Maguire.

Kirsten Dunst’s Spider-Man kiss shoot experience

In the film, Mary Jane removes Spider-Man's (Maguire) mask halfway to give him a 'thank you' kiss in the pouring rain as he hangs upside down.

"I remember Sam Raimi giving me a book of famous kisses to be inspired, but also he really wanted to make it special, even though it was kind of miserable actually doing it. It was pouring with rain, freezing, Tobey couldn’t breathe so it was almost like I was resuscitating him," Dunst said on ITV's The Jonathan Ross Show.

Tobey Maguire talks about the popular Spider-Man kiss

Two years ago on the 20th anniversary of Spider-Man's release, Maguire also recalled he was “practically suffocating” while performing the iconic scene.

“It was really tough, actually. It was really challenging. They’d yell cut, and I would be (gasping for air), totally out of breath. It was torture. It makes you realise how important oxygen is,” he had said.

From 2002 to 2007, Dunst starred as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, opposite Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The audience adored their chemistry on screen. While Maguire's Peter Parker made a comeback in the 2021 Tom Holland film Spider-Man: No Way Home, Dunst's character wasn't referenced in the movie. 

(with inputs from PTI)