Tobey Maguire starred in the Oscar-nominated Seabiscuit

Actor Tobey Maguire was joined by his on-screen love interest Kirsten Dunst and other stars including Willem Dafoe.

Maguire said he had a lot in common with the superhero, set to appear in US cinemas from 1 July.

"I relate to Peter Parker in that, he has got to ask questions of himself, like, you know, who am I, what's my purpose..." he told reporters.

Relationship

Spider-Man 2 takes a closer look at the relationship between Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, and his girlfriend Mary Jane - and according to Maguire that's what makes the sequel more interesting.

"I think that's one of the great things about this movie" he said. "What drives the story largely, or at least from Peter Parker's perspective, is his love for Mary Jane."

Dunst stars in the forthcoming British comedy Wimbledon

Co-star Dunst, recently seen on the big screen opposite Julia Roberts in Mona Lisa Smile, had some definite ideas about how her character should develop in Spider-Man 2.

"I just wanted her to have grown up a lot and really make the decisions in Peter's and her relationship," she said.

'Smarter'

"In the last movie, he kind of decides for them that we can only be friends, and in this movie she really decides for them at the end, so she's just a much more confident woman, and smarter and wiser, " said Dunst.

Columbia Pictures will be hoping the comic book sequel is as successful as the first Spider-Man film, which broke box office records and earned $800m (�440m) in 2002.

The second instalment picks ups Spider-Man's story two years on and sees Peter Parker trying to balance his superhero and college student identities, while clashing with multi-tentacled villain Doc Ock, played by Alfred Molina.