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'He Confessed To Me...': J.K. Simmons Reveals How Stan Lee Reacted To His J. Jonah Jameson Role
The legendary Stan Lee, the mastermind behind the Marvel universe, is synonymous with iconic cameos in the franchise. However, a lesser-known fact has emerged about the comic book titan
Legendary comic book writer and Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee has appeared in almost every Marvel movie. From the early days of the X-Men series through to massive success with the Avengers movies in the MCU, Stan's cameo appearances have become something of a tradition with fans. There was, however, one role he yearned for but never got the chance to play.
In a recent conversation with GQ, J.K. Simmons, the consummate actor who brought to life J. Jonah Jameson, the hothead Daily Bugle editor from the Spider-Man series, shared an interesting little tidbit. He shared that Stan Lee had originally wanted to play the part himself. That isn't so surprising now—after all, the character of J. It is said that Jonah Jameson was patterned after the oversized personality of Lee himself within the comic book world.
Simmons described his first meeting with Stan Lee about the role, saying at the time he didn't realize Jameson really captured a lot of Stan Lee's own personality. Lee explained that he felt a little envious, as Spider-Man was a character he and Steve Ditko had created back in 1962, so seeing someone else embody that same bombastic comic version of himself made him wish he could have had a shot at it in Raimi's first Spider-Man film.
"He confessed to me at the time that, you know, he was a little jealous that they didn't ask him to play the part in the movie.”
Although Stan Lee was disappointed at first by Simmons' portrayal, the overall response was very positive. He related his gratitude to Simmons by exclaiming, "But having seen you do it, I thought you were fantastic!" Coming from a man so closely related to the character, this remark of praise from Lee really touched Simmons and sealed the actor's relationship with the character even further.
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson became iconic, special to the heart of every Spider-Man enthusiast. Indeed, it was because he had done such a great job playing J. Jonah Jameson that he reprised the role as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, this time as a media mogul and not as some regular newscaster. The more justified comeback it was, with the undying popularity of the character and the effect of his first performance at the very outset.
There's a good body of work beyond Spider-Man for J.K. Simmons, with roles coming up in multiple projects: The Union, costarring with Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, Saturday Night, playing Milton Berle, and holiday film Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson.
Stan Lee passed away in 2018 leaving behind his legacy apart from the roles. His characters turn on and turn up the pleasure quotient for millions of people worldwide; his influence resonates across every nook and cranny of the Marvel universe. Though Lee himself may not have played J. On the big screen, it is Jonah Jameson, in whose vision and creativity are living on through all those characters, very well-known to him, which he brought into existence—not least of which is the inimitable editor of the Daily Bugle.
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