Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: Hailee Steinfeld talks Gwen Stacy’s emotional journey and a possible spin-off

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has web-slinged into theaters and is swinging into big box office numbers as it surpasses the original by making three times what Into the Spider-Verse has made. Spidey is nothing without the women in his life, and Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy helps adds to the emotional core of the two films. While Bryce Dallas Howard and Emma Stone were able to portray the character on the big screen in past incarnations, the Spider-Verse films give us a newer look at Stacy as she ventures down her own superhero path.

Steinfeld sits down with The Hollywood Reporter and discusses how the new film expands on Gwen’s background. The actress was pleasantly surprised at how much gets explored in this entry, “I was never given a script in its entirety. Seeing [Across the Spider-Verse] just a few weeks ago was like reading the script for the first time. So, realizing that this film does open with a lot of Gwen’s story was really special to see. We dug a little deeper into who she is and why she is the way she is, and it’s a big evolution from where she was in the first one. I’ve always loved this character, but I love her so much more in this film from what we learn about her.” 

While The Amazing Spider-Man films have presented us with glimpses of Gwen and her relationship with her father, Captain Stacy, Across the Spider-Verse showcases some deeply emotional scenes between the father and daughter. Steinfeld was able to actually perform with the voice actor Shea Whigham, who portrays her dad, “I was able to be in the room with Shea Whigham when we did those scenes. We had already done them on our own to each other’s readings, but then the filmmakers brought us in to do it together. So I kind of loved that in a way, because I already knew it really well. A lot of the time, we’ll get the material just a few days before, if that, so I got to live with it and have a really clear understanding of Gwen and where she was coming from in those scenes with her dad. But they are very emotional and very moving.”

THR would also ask if there is any news on the rumblings of a spin-off with Spider-Woman. Steinfeld, who is no stranger to Marvel secrecy — also playing Kate Bishop in the Marvel Studios Hawkeye series — would profess to not knowing anything about a proposed project. When asked if there are ongoing talks, she would reply, “Is there? this is one I haven’t heard of.” She would, however, say that if she were offered a live-action Spider-Woman adaptation, she would say yes in a heartbeat. When the reporter inquires if she would play Gwen differently live as opposed to a voice-over, Steinfeld answers, “There may have been a time where I felt the need to overcompensate because it wasn’t live-action. It wasn’t me doing the thing. So I felt like in order for you to feel it on the other end, I had to go bigger, but I very quickly realized that there’s no need for that. So, would I deliver the lines differently in live-action? That’s such an interesting thing. I imagine if they’re coming from the same place, it would feel similar, but with some physicality added in there, it would inherently be different.”