Following the success of its first Spider-Man trilogy, Sony was hopeful that its Andrew Garfield-led Amazing Spider-Man movies would perform just as well at the box office. Despite a cast that boasts of Oscar winners Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Sally Field as Aunt May, the film series only performed modestly and to mixed reviews. That said, it is still worth noting that the first Amazing Spider-Man film introduced some of the Spider-Man universe’s most memorable characters to date.
For starters, there is the character named Missy Kallenback, the Midtown Science High School student who had an undeniable crush on Peter (Garfield). And while the character survives the first film, Missy, surprisingly, doesn’t appear in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Since then, some fans have wondered what happened to the character as well as the actress portraying the role.
Who Played Missy Kallenback In ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’?
The actress behind the character is none other than Hannah Marks. For the star, acting is almost second nature as it runs in the family (her mother is actress Nova Ball). In fact, that’s the very reason why Marks wanted to become an actress herself. “I think I was about five years old when I saw a reel of my mom’s acting work,” she told Coveteur. “She had done a ton of commercials and guest stars on TV shows throughout the ’80s and I thought it was so cool. To this day, she is my inspiration.”
Like many, Marks started out at a young age, booking small roles in shows such as Numb3rs, Private Practice, Heartland, Criminal Minds, and Ugly Betty. Later on, the actress landed the part of Harmony in the Emmy-winning comedy Weeds even though the character didn’t seem appropriate for Marks at that time.
“My parents actually originally said no to me doing Weeds because my character had gonorrhea and was having threesomes,” Marks explained during an interview with People. “I was only 15 years old. But my parents have always trusted me. They’ve never really worried about me being a party girl or anything.”
Soon after, Marks also went on to book other TV roles before landing a part in The Amazing Spider-Man. Interestingly enough, however, the actress originally auditioned to play a Goth role in the movie. The film was quick to tell her that she didn’t get that role. A day later, she got a surprising call.
“I was incredibly excited, but I didn’t know what to expect because they were very secretive,” Marks recalled during an interview with The Tribune. “We weren’t given the script or anything like that ... I didn’t even know who my character was or anything until I showed up on the day of filming.”
And when she took on the role, Marks decided a nuanced approach to Missy would be the way to go considering everything. “I tried not to play it over the top,” she explained. “Because I realized my outfit made me look nerdy enough.” It worked.
Hannah Marks Went On To Land More Film And TV Roles
Marks may have only appeared once in the Spider-Man franchise. But that didn’t matter, the other just kept on coming anyway. For instance, around the time that Marks was working on The Amazing Spider-Man, the actress had a regular role in the comedy Necessary Roughness as teenager Lindsay Santino.
The character came to her at just the right time and Marks loved how relatable Lindsay was to some degree. “I am a teenage girl who once had all the same, crazy hormonal problems,” the actress told Cosmo Girl. “But we're different because I would never be as manipulative and scheming as Lindsay!”
Aside from this, Marks landed guest roles in shows such as The Client List, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Castle, and The Following. Fans may have recognized Marks when she portrayed promiscuous schoolmate Gloria in MTV’s Awkward.
Later on, Marks was cast in the BBC America series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and struck up a friendship with lead star Elijah Wood. “Almost all of my scenes in the first season of Dirk Gently’s are with Elijah, so we spent a lot of time together,” the actress recalled. “He really treated me like a younger sister, really protective and sweet with me. He’s a fantastic actor to work with.”
In addition, Marks starred in various films such as Slash, Hard Sell, Almost Home, Daniel Isn’t Real, and Slash. Around the same time, the actress ventured behind the camera.
Years After ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ Hannah Marks Became A Filmmaker Too
Over the years, Marks worked on a handful of shorts before eventually taking on feature films herself. For instance, she famously starred in the comedy Banana Split, which she also wrote and executive produced. The film was a passion project for the actress from start to finish.
“It was a long one because it’s the first thing I ever wrote,” Marks explained during a conversation with Gillian Jacobs for Interview. “It started as a teenager, because it was just my outlet for talking about first love and high school and friendships, and I feel like first love is such a ripe first subject for a screenplay.”
More recently, Marks received praise for her comedy Mark, Mary & Some Other People, which she wrote, directed, and produced. The film stars Ben Rosenfield and Hayley Law as newlyweds who decide to make their relationship non-monogamous.
Meanwhile, fans can look forward to seeing Marks in the previously announced drama You Can't Win, and likely many more projects after that.
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