If Issa Rae was going to play a superhero in a Marvel project, of course it would be a pregnant one.
In āSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseā she stars as Jessica Drew, a.k.a. Spider-Woman, who just happens to be with child in the new animated film that spans alternate universes.
The āInsecureā star is known for portraying characters who are undeniably unique, and this latest role is no different.
āIt is many dreams come true. I just am so proud to bring this character to life and hope to continue to, honestly,ā Rae told CNN. āSheās just so cool to me and so bada**. Iām a fan of her.ā
Jessica Drew can battle with the best of them, pregnant or not, as she swings into action in the eagerly awaited sequel to the Oscar-winning film āSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseā released in 2018.
Rae said she was thrilled to join the all-star cast which includes Shameik Moore as Miles Morales/Spider-Man and Brian Tyree Henry as his dad, Jefferson Morales.
Not that the role wasnāt challenging for her.
Voicing a character in an animated film isnāt like shooting a live action project, and Rae said it wasnāt easy ānot being able to play off of all of the actors.ā
āBut honestly a lot of my scenes are with Gwen (Stacy, another Spider-Woman character) and I did get a chance to read with Hailee Steinfeld and that was really fun and rewarding,ā Rae said.
Her love of working in physical spaces also made acting in scenes she had to imagine different, as Rae had to depend on the script to visualize where her character would be. That plus having to project everything via her voice was also a challenge.
āHaving to really exercise my voice to convey everything that I wanted to say. Thatās not something that I do in real life,ā Rae said. āI use a lot my voice to hide what Iām feeling. And so to have to use my voice to show everything that this character is feeling and say everything she means was work and so much fun.ā
Thereās already Oscar buzz that the film could pick up a best animated film Academy Award, like its predecessor.
Could it be like āThe Godfather II,ā another sequel that won in the same Oscars category as the original and was hailed as possibly better than the first?
Rae couldnāt speak to that because she said sheās never seen āThe Godfatherā films.
āI need to see āThe Godfatherā is what that question reminds me,ā Rae said, laughing. āIt was referenced for the series finale of āSuccessionā and I was like, āI need to see āThe Godfather.āā
āSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseā is in theatres now.
