To celebrate Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse,” Synchrony hosted a new immersive experience in Brooklyn, New York using augmented reality, inspired by the movie. Visitors immersed themselves in a spiderweb installation, taking on the web-spinning abilities of Spider-Man through a mobile browser-based experience, where guests could fire virtual webs and earn chances to win cash.
Synchrony is a strong supporter of empowerment and inspiring everyday heroes. In conjunction with the film’s launch and the Brooklyn activation, Synchrony also donated $250,000 to buildOn. buildOn empowers youth from America’s toughest neighborhoods to explore the challenges facing their communities and take action to address these issues through service – including helping the homeless, seniors and children in their communities.
At the event we caught up with Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse stars Luna Lauren Velez and Jake Johnson to talk all things Spider-Man. Check our interviews after the jump.
The Knockturnal: This film brings a lot of diversity than most of other Spider-Man films, especially bringing in Black and Latino characters. What was your response when they came to you with this movie?
Luna Lauren Velez: Welp, it’s Spider-Man and it’s Marvel. I think that is really something. Spider-Man doesn’t have parents typically, right? And so, not only does he have parents now, but his mom’s Puerto Rican. His dad African American. We have a brown Spider-Man. This is the extraordinary thing and it’s kind of about time because I know I am not the only one who needed to see this. I think people need to see this. So, it’s kind of exciting.
The Knockturnal: What was the recording process like?
Luna Lauren Velez: It was fun. [I was cast] sometime last year. I finished about two and a half months ago.
The Knockturnal: What do make of the reboot of New York Undercover?
Luna Lauren Velez:: I don’t know. There’s really nothing. It’s exciting and we’ve been talking about it for a long time. And so now I feel like well what is it? What is going to be? Is it a reboot with different characters? Is it going to be redone? Like I don’t even know, I feel like I’m excited to see where that’s going to go.
The Knockturnal: We’ll see. What kind of impact is this Spider-Man going to have on the African American and Latin American community?
Luna Lauren Velez: Well, I hope they walk away feeling proud to finally be represented in such a positive way. This isn’t a broken family. This is a professional family. Mile’s mom Rio is an RN. His father is a cop. Miles is going to a great school and his parents are striving for him to be his fullest self, but this is like the normal healthy, stable, thriving family. And I want people to walk away thinking like that’s the norm for a people and a lot of us. I’m so happy that we’re finally getting to see it.
The Knockturnal: How does it work within animation when you don’t see each other every day on set like what is that like versus being on set.
Luna Lauren Velez: You just go and you trust. You have to trust your directors and your producers and that what you’re doing is what they want. You just go completely on intuition. And also, you’re using a different skill. You’re not using your hands and your face or whatever you just using the sound of your voice and everything is your intention. So I think that’s pretty amazing.
The Knockturnal: What kind of prep did you do? What do you envision?
Luna Lauren Velez: My mom. I channeled my mother. This was my mom. Every morning it was her. That was her getting us together. Getting ready for school for anything. So I really just thought about her, a working mom. She used to work at the Board of Ed. My dad was a cop. I was like those my it’s my story. This is my story.
(Jon Simon/Feature Photo Service for Synchrony)
The Knockturnal: You are Peter Parker was there any intimidation before heading into this role?
Jake Johnson: No, I didn’t feel intimidated because I had Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Rodney, Peter, Bobby, overseeing it and I know those guys were deep in the world of the Spider-Verse, so I could rely heavily on their notes. And I took a lot of their notes.
The Knockturnal: In the booth, how did you get into character? Did you dress up as Spider-Man? How did you find that inner Spider-Man in you?
Jake Johnson: You know it took couple records, you know we tried to find him and then when I got to work opposite Shameik and he was Miles and I was Peter and we could do full scenes. That’s when I started really finding kind of who Miles was and who Peter was and then after that I would go in there, take off my shoes, try to dim the lights and get into it.
The Knockturnal: It got weird.
Jake Johnson: It got a little weird. That’s right, that’s the beauty of the movie you get to get a little weird.
The Knockturnal: We love you from TV, could we possibly see you back on TV again soon?
Jake Johnson: Yeah, you know I’m open to anything. For me I’m more about the creatives involved, I’ve really enjoyed working with the creative people on this who are really talented. And I would definitely do TV or movies or whatever depends who’s at the top of them. If I like the people, the script, the producers, who’s going to direct and the truth is in 2018 I don’t care what its on. We might make it for T-Mobile, whatever it is, if it’s a good creative team I’m more interested in the newness of these times than trying to create something of old, I like new stuff.
The Knockturnal: What do you think of the biggest take away message that people will take when they see Spider-Verse.
Jake Johnson: Well I think the statement is anyone can wear the mask but what I personally really think that they take away is people are going to see themselves in these superheroes, as our first black super, Spider-Man, who’s half black half Puerto Rican it’s our first female spider person. You know Spider-Gwen and I think a lot of people are going to be able to say like ‘oh that actually looks like me or that person acts more like me’ and for people who like the original, the OG’s there too. So there’s really somebody for everybody and that to me is the most exciting take away, I got young daughters so I’m really excited they get Spider-Gwen And it’s like everybody feels like in this movie you’re starting to get represented. But it’s not a movie that just says this is a lesson on representation, it’s a fun movie.
Be sure to check out our current digital cover which features Spider-Man himself Shameik Moore!