Before They Were Stars: Tobey Maguire as an Extra in “The Wizard”

Okay, I’ve got a confession to make: I’ve never actually seen The Wizard. That’s probably because I’m not much of a gamer, but if you’re a video game buff of any sort, I’d say chances are good that you have vivid memories of this 1989 Fred Savage film. Pretty much everyone acknowledges that The Wizard is nothing more than a 100-minute Nintendo commercial, but a lot of people seem to have a nostalgic fondness for it, so it has a bit of a cult following. I still remember there being an aura of excitement surrounding this film when it came out because it was going to show footage of Super Mario Bros. 3 before the game was actually released. Well, not only did The Wizard play a big role in launching the release of Super Mario Bros. 3, but it also helped launch the career of Tobey Maguire. Okay, not really. Poor Tobey’s entire role actually consisted of him standing in the background during one scene and since he didn’t have any lines of dialogue, he didn’t receive any credit. But you can clearly see him standing on the left side of the screen in this clip with his pink T-shirt and mullet on display for all the world to see.