Spider-Verse’s Newest Cast Member Says Joining Franchise Was A Lifelong Dream

Jharrel Jerome, the voice behind the evil Miles Morales teased at the end of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, says joining the beloved animated franchise is a dream come true. While the live-action superhero genre is having a turbulent time, its animated counterpart is thriving, thanks in large part to Sony’s animated Spider-Verse movies. Following Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) after he’s bit by a radioactive spider from another dimension, the Spider-Verse movies see Morales, a.k.a. Spider-Man travel the multi-verse, coming face to face with dozens of Spider-Man variants. While most are good, at the end of the latest film, Across the Spider-Verse, Morales meets his evil counterpart, who becomes The Prowler.

Speaking to Collider at the Toronto International Film Festival, Jharrel Jerome was asked what it meant for him to join such a beloved cinematic universe. For Jerome, it was a lifelong dream come true. “It’s [been] a dream since I was a child to just be a part of that world in any way,” the actor said. While the Peter Parker version of Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes of all-time, Miles Morales has developed his own dedicated fan base, and the character’s big screen debut was a landmark moment for representation within the genre. Jerome continued:

“Miles Morales is a specific character, as a Dominican from New York, that I’ve always dreamed of embodying and portraying. So just to even play the voice in the world that they’re creating is so incredible, because what it’s doing for my people and our people back in New York — Dominicans, Puerto Ricans — it’s really shifting the culture for us in the mainstream in terms of animation and the superhero genre. For me to be a part of it is an honor.”

Evil Miles Morales only appears in a single scene in Across the Spider-Verse, when Miles travels to Earth-42, a universe with no Spider-Man. Evil Miles captures Miles Morales, tying him to a punching bag (like Miles did to Peter B. Parker in Into the Spider-Verse). Evil Miles is expected to play a much larger role in the upcoming threequel, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Jharrel Jerome Loves the Reactions From Younger Spider-Verse Fans

Jharrel Jerome was at the Toronto International Film Festival to promote his new movie, Unstoppable, in which he stars as Anthony Robbles, a kid born with one leg with dreams of becoming a wrestler. Before being cast in Across the Spider-Verse, Jerome’s filmography predominantly featured movies that were not necessarily meant for the usual Spider-Man demographic. Jerome played a teenage Kevin in Moonlight, starred in the acclaimed adaptation of the beloved graphic novel, Monster, and led Boots Riley’s hit comedy series I’m a Virgo.

For Jharrel Jerome, Across the Spider-Verse is his first mainstream project that can be enjoyed by a younger audience. During the conversation, the actor said he loves hearing feedback from kids and their parents about how much they love the Spider-Verse movies. He said:

“Yeah, they’re also just kickass films. Also, some people are like, ‘My son loves you’, or, ‘My daughter loves you.’ Most of the stuff I’ve done has been very sad and for adults, and so it’s cool to kind of expand the fan base a bit and have kids like, ‘Oh my god, I love you!’ Even though they lying because they didn’t see my face.”