June 30, 2012 12:59 AM EST
Emma Stone, Kirsten Dunst And Other Actresses Who Have Played Spider-Man’s Love Interests [PHOTOS]
"The Amazing Spider-Man" is set to hit theaters on July 3, and the film promises a fresh take on the comic book superhero story.
Peter Parker will be played by British-American actor Andrew Garfield. His love interest in this installment, Gwen Stacy, will be played by actress and real-life girlfriend Emma Stone ("The Help, "Easy A").
Stone recently described the casting process for the film with the Daily Beast: "I had worked with Sony before on 'Superbad,' 'Zombieland,' and 'Easy A,' and they had talked with me about Mary Jane originally, because they didn't know where they were going to go with it. When it came back around to Gwen Stacy, they asked if I'd audition, and Andrew had already been cast. I looked into the saga of Gwen Stacy and it was stunning -- a huge slice of pop culture history, and it was something I really wanted to be a part of."
Stone joins a long list of actresses who have played a love interest to the popular comic book superhero.
Here are just a few actresses who have played Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy and others. Who do you think is best for Peter Parker?
Emma Stone
“Working with Emma was like diving into a thrilling, twisting river and never holding on to the sides,” Andrew Garfield told Vogue.
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst (“Marie Antoinette,” “Elizabethtown”) played Peter Parker’s great love, the red-haired Mary Jane Watson. She played the role in the three Spider-Man films that starred Tobey Maguire.
Bryce Dallas Howard
Actress Bryce Dallas Howard (“Lady in the Water,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) played Gwen Stacy in “Spider-Man 3.”
Elizabeth Banks
Actress Elizabeth Banks (“The Hunger Games,” “Role Models”) played Betty Brant in the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films. Banks played the secretary of J. Jonah Jameson, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Bugle, where Peter Parker worked.
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood (“Across the Universe,” “True Blood”) was cast in the role of Mary Jane Watson for the Broadway production of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” but had to leave due to scheduling conflicts, Entertainment Weekly reported. (The musical had a famously disastrous production start that caused several delays.)
Jennifer Damiano
Actress Jennifer Damiano was cast in the role of Mary Jane Watson in Broadway’s “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” after Evan Rachel Wood dropped out.
Rebecca Faulkenberry
Actress Rebecca Faulkenberry currently plays Mary Jane Watson on Broadway.
Lisa Loeb
Singer Lisa Loeb voiced the character of Mary Jane Watson for MTV’s short-lived “Spider-Man: The New Animated Series.”





