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Issa Rae on weaving magic in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

This Feb. 6, 2020 file photo shows actress/writer/producer Issa Rae at the 13th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) This Feb. 6, 2020 file photo shows actress/writer/producer Issa Rae at the 13th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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If Issa Rae was going to play a superhero in a Marvel project, of course it would be a pregnant one.

In “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” 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 “Insecure” star is known for portraying characters who are undeniably unique, and this latest role is no different.

“It is many dreams come true. I just am so proud to bring this character to life and hope to continue to, honestly,” Rae told CNN. “She’s just so cool to me and so bada**. I’m a fan of her.”

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 “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” 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 wasn’t challenging for her.

Voicing a character in an animated film isn’t like shooting a live action project, and Rae said it wasn’t easy “not being able to play off of all of the actors.”

“But 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,” 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.

“Having to really exercise my voice to convey everything that I wanted to say. That’s not something that I do in real life,” Rae said. “I use a lot my voice to hide what I’m 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.”

There’s already Oscar buzz that the film could pick up a best animated film Academy Award, like its predecessor.

Could it be like “The Godfather II,” another sequel that won in the same Oscars category as the original and was hailed as possibly better than the first?

Rae couldn’t speak to that because she said she’s never seen “The Godfather” films.

“I need to see ‘The Godfather’ is what that question reminds me,” Rae said, laughing. “It was referenced for the series finale of ‘Succession’ and I was like, ‘I need to see ‘The Godfather.’”

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is in theatres now.

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