The role of Mary Jane Watson very nearly went to someone other than Kirsten Dunst, and the list of actresses who came close reads like a who's who of early 2000s Hollywood. Some walked away from firm offers, others crumbled under audition pressure, and one even filmed scenes that the studio quietly shelved. The casting search behind the beloved red-haired love interest was far messier than fans ever realized.

As old interviews resurface, one story about a very deliberate exit stands out from the rest.

Kate Hudson had Mary Jane in her hands and chose to walk away, picking The Four Feathers alongside Heath Ledger instead. Speaking on Watch What Happens Live in December 2025, she admitted it would have been nice to inhabit the character, even fun. Yet Hudson carries no regret, since the decision led her straight to a real friendship with Ledger.

Her logic was simple: certain paths open other doors, and this one opened a good one. Hudson has maintained that the eventual cast, Kirsten Dunst included, was exactly right for the part. Turning down a franchise this large takes nerve, and Hudson never looked back.

While she stepped aside gracefully, another actress found the process far less kind.

Elizabeth Banks tested opposite Tobey Maguire for Mary Jane and was rejected for being too old, despite trailing Maguire by barely sixteen months. She was around twenty-eight at the time, while the studio eventually chose the far younger Kirsten Dunst. That gap in logic did not escape Banks, who later spoke openly about the double standard.

Rather than leave empty-handed, Banks accepted the smaller part of Betty Brant, the Daily Bugle secretary, appearing across all three Sam Raimi films. The consolation role kept her tied to the franchise for years, even without the spotlight she originally auditioned for.

As one actress found a quieter path forward, another remembers her audition as an outright disaster.

Kate Bosworth has called her Mary Jane audition the worst of her entire career, and she does not exaggerate for effect. On Watch What Happens Live, she confessed to freezing completely, tanking the reading so badly that she knew instantly it was over. Nerves simply overtook her that day.

Bosworth was young and unprepared for that level of pressure, and the experience clearly stayed with her. She has since praised Kirsten Dunst as the perfect fit for the character, showing no bitterness about losing out. Bosworth eventually found her own superhero moment years later in Superman Returns.

While her audition became a cautionary tale, others barely registered a blip in the record.

Mena Suvari arrived at the Mary Jane casting search fresh off American Pie and American Beauty, making her an obvious contender at the time. Reports from that era confirm she tested for the role during an extensive and competitive search. She did not advance past the early rounds. Suvari's near miss barely slowed her career, as she moved steadily into independent films and genre projects afterward. Her audition remains a small footnote in a casting saga stacked with famous names.

As her chapter closed quietly, another candidate actually got as far as a chemistry read.

Eliza Dushku, known then for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reached an actual reading with Tobey Maguire, a stage many others never touched. She had already shared the screen with Kirsten Dunst in Bring It On, adding an odd twist to their competing auditions. Reports describe her chemistry test as genuinely competitive.

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The part still went to Dunst, and Dushku redirected her energy into other genre work, including the horror film Wrong Turn. She later led the series Dollhouse, building a career defined by cult favorites rather than blockbuster franchises. Her audition is frequently cited in retrospectives about the search.

While Dushku got remarkably close, a teen drama favorite was testing right alongside her.

Julia Stiles entered the Mary Jane conversation while riding high on 10 Things I Hate About You, a film now heading to Broadway as a full musical adaptation set to begin previews in August 2027. Casting histories place her among the large group tested for the role, alongside Kate Bosworth, Eliza Dushku, and Mena Suvari. She did not progress beyond that stage.

Details about her specific audition remain scarce, though her participation is well documented. Stiles moved on to major success with the Bourne franchise and steady television work afterward. Her brush with the role adds one more name to an already crowded shortlist.

As her story fades into the background, one final actress actually made it into the finished footage.

Shailene Woodley holds a different kind of near miss, tied not to the original trilogy but to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014. She was formally cast as Mary Jane, filmed three scenes opposite Andrew Garfield, and described landing the part as a childhood dream fulfilled.

Sony ultimately removed her scenes, citing an already crowded roster of new characters and a preference to resolve Gwen Stacy's arc first. The planned sequel that might have restored her footage never came together. Woodley has since reflected on the cut phone call with a wry sense of humor rather than resentment. In the end, Kirsten Dunst's chemistry with Tobey Maguire settled a casting search that nearly went in 7 different directions.

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What are your thoughts on this list of almost-Mary Janes? Let us know in the comments.