Actor Tobey Maguire On Becoming a Jockey

Actor Tobey Maguire up close on the Equicizer.

Every superhero needs a secret identity. Fresh off the smash success of Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire tested his out last September at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., as he anonymously soaked up the atmosphere while researching for his horse racing drama Seabiscuit. "In our world, people were more interested in betting on horses than in Tobey Maguire," says jockey Gary Stevens, a Seabiscuit costar. "I really think he enjoyed that." Or a more focused one.

To prepare for the film, Maguire, who pocketed an estimated $12 million paycheck, installed an Equicizer--a racehorse simulator--in his $3.5 million Beverly Hills home, and whittled 20 lbs. off his 160-lb. frame. "I didn't realize what kind of athletes jockeys are," Maguire says. "The first time I got up in the stirrups and did a bit of a gallop on the equicizer, after a couple of minutes my legs were noodles. I could barely stand up."

Tobey Maguire and Gary Stevens preparing to film a scene.

Equicizers loaded on the S.S. Seabiscuit.