Hailee Steinfeld Was Forced To Record ‘Spider-Verse’ Lines in a Closet

in Entertainment, Marvel

Gwen Stacy across the spider-verse sad hoodie hailee steinfeld

Credit: Sony Pictures

It’s been five years of eager anticipation, but Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse premiered in theaters everywhere on Friday, June 2, and it’s already garnering widespread praise – including some fervent arguments that it deserves a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year.

There has been a lot of extra buzz around the movie since one scene seems to confirm that the Spider-Verse films exist in the same Multiverse as the MCU Spider-Man films – meaning that they could cross over at any time.

There has also been a lot of talk about the stars of the Spider-Verse film getting their own movies; Shameik Moore seems to officially be campaigning for the role of an MCU Miles Morales, and Hailee Steinfeld has indicated that if the rumors about a live-action Spider-Woman spinoff are true, she’d be all for reprising her role as Gwen Stacy.

The prospect is probably especially attractive to Steinfeld, who would no doubt love the chance to act out the role face-to-face with her castmates – especially after some of the strange places she had to record her lines for Across the Spider-Verse.

Why Did Hailee Steinfeld Have to Record Some of Her Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Lines in a Closet?

Gwen Stacy across the spider-verse hailee steinfeld with miles morales shameik moore
Credit: Sony Pictures

Related: ‘Spider-Verse’ Gets Bigger with Live-Action Adaptation

Voice acting isn’t exactly like regular acting. Not only is the actor obviously not physically going to be the one delivering the lines – meaning any facial expressions or gesticulations are mostly irrelevant – but you also sometimes don’t even get to be in the same room as the actors you’re in a scene with.

This can happen for several reasons, but it’s often because of scheduling – since voice actors as big as the stars of the Spider-Verse film are often being tapped for projects with conflicting schedules that they need to be there for physically. This included Steinfeld, who was also working on recording an album, among other things, at the time.

I searched for some closets in random places and just any place I could create a makeshift vocal booth. But that’s sort of the beauty of something like this.

Gwen Stacy across the spider-verse hailee steinfeld with miles morales shameik moore romantic
Credit: Sony Pictures

Related: Reminder From Stan Lee As Twitter Debates if Miles Morales Is Spider-Man

Of course, as convenient as recording lines for something without physically being there might be, it doesn’t come without its own challenges – especially on the acting front.

You will be somewhere random, and the schedules with other actors might not align to be in the same room for a scene like you’d hoped.

Steinfeld said, however, that for her part, co-director Kemp Powers and writer-producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller were always able to help her get into character – no matter what strange makeshift recording booth she might be in.

Gwen Stacy across the spider-verse hailee steinfeld
Credit: Sony Pictures

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I feel I owe everything and more to our filmmakers. Wherever I was in the world and wherever we were in the process, Kemp Powers, Phil Lord and Chris Miller had this innate ability to help me get exactly where I needed to be, emotionally, physically and mentally, in order to deliver the performance that they knew I wanted to give, because it’s not easy….I am so grateful for their help in getting me exactly where I needed and wanted to be for this.

They made up for this by putting her in the booth with some of her co-stars for certain key scenes, a process that she insisted on being included in this time around after she missed out during the recordings for Into the Spider-Verse.

You can see how all the different recording sessions paid off in theaters: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is out now.

Do you think where someone is doing their voice acting could affect their performance? Chime in and let Inside the Magic know in the comments below.

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