Hailee Steinfeld on ‘emotional’ Gwen Stacy scenes in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

Hailee Steinfeld opened up about her portrayal of Gwen Stacy in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and a potential spin-off for the fan-favourite character.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, speaking about her character in the recently-released animated film, Steinfeld shared that it was ‘special’ to see that this movie “does open with a lot of Gwen’s story.”

She explained, “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.”

“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,” she said of her character in the film. “I’ve always loved this character, but I love her so much more in this film from what we learn about her.”

Steinfeld, who lends her voice to Gwen, talked about working with Shea Whigham, who plays her dad in the movie. She described the scenes between with Whigham to be “very emotional and very moving.”

“Thankfully, I was able to be in the room with Shea Whigham when we did those scenes,” she said.

“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.”

When asked if she heard of conversations surrounding a Gwen Stacy spin-off, she was seemingly surprised. However, she responded with a laugh, “I do, but this is one I haven’t heard of.”

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which is a follow-up of the hit movie Into the Spider-Verse (2018), released in theatres on June 2nd, 2023.