Spider-Man Actresses Playing Tennis(Photo Credit –Facebook/Instagram)
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Hollywood casting has a way of weaving together unexpected connections. But here’s a fun one—every actress who’s played Spider-Man’s love interest has ended up on a tennis court, at least on screen. Call it a coincidence or just a weird industry pattern, but Kirsten Dunst, Emma Stone, and Zendaya have all taken a swing at playing tennis players in films.
Kirsten Dunst was the foremost to stroll onto the tennis court. After playing Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, she starred in Wimbledon (2004). The actress played Lizzie Bradbury. She is a rising tennis star, who falls for a struggling pro (played by Paul Bettany). It wasn’t just a casual sports flick—Dunst actually trained to make her moves look legit.
In 2017, Emma Stone played tennis icon Billie Jean King in Battle of the Sexes. Before that, she was Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man movies. The film retold King’s legendary 1973 match against Bobby Riggs. Stone trained intensely to grasp King’s athleticism and decisiveness.
Then, Zendaya was set to continue the trend. Following her role as MJ in the MCU’s Spider-Man films, she’s starred in Challengers, a 2024 tennis drama. Unlike Stone’s film, this one isn’t based on real-life events, but Zendaya didn’t take the role lightly. She trained for three months with Brad Gilbert, a former pro and top coach, to perfect her skills.
But it’s not just the actresses who have a surprising pattern. The Spider-Men themselves—Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland—have all played soldiers in intense war dramas. Maguire starred in Brothers (2009) as a Marine dealing with PTSD after being held captive in Afghanistan.
Garfield took on Hacksaw Ridge (2016), playing real-life WWII medic Desmond Doss, who saved soldiers without carrying a weapon. Holland brought a different take to the theme in Cherry (2021), portraying an army medic struggling with PTSD after serving in Iraq.
It’s fascinating how Hollywood keeps finding these unintentional patterns. Will the next Spider-Man actors and their leading ladies follow suit? Maybe. At this point, don’t be surprised if the next MJ or Gwen Stacy ends up in a tennis biopic—or if another Peter Parker finds himself in a battlefield drama.
