Hudson Thames has always been a big fan of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man in the 2000s, especially with how the character fit into the culture of those times. Now, he's trying to deliver that same sort of thing for his own rendition as the beloved superhero in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Thames, whose work includes his roles in American Soul and Mad Men, originally voiced Spider-Man for the Marvel series What If…? and has since performed the role of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man for this new series.
Where numerous actors have played Spider-Man across different forms of media, including animation and live-action, Thames has never been attracted to any other depiction of Spider-Man except that by Maguire for the Sam Raimi movies.
“Everyone has their own (version of) Spider-Man that they grew up with. For me, it was Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. I remember feeling like the issues that were being dealt within that Spider-Man series felt poignant for where the world was at that time.
“I’m really curious to see what my little brothers think about this show because it feels so 2025 to me but in a natural, like not annoying and ‘woke’ way. It (deals) with the issues at hand in modern day,” the 30-year-old actor told PTI in a virtual interview.
The personality of Peter Parker alias Spider-Man was developed by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962.
He also wondered what his younger brothers would think about the new show, describing that it is much like a product of 2025 but one that comes across naturally and not artificially. "It addresses the issues at hand in today's modern day," he said, highlighting the relevance of the show.
Maguire was the first actor to bring the character alive in live-action films with Raimi’s “Spider-Man” in 2002, followed by “Spider-Man 2” (2004) and “Spider-Man 3” (2007). He passed the mantle to Andrew Garfield, who played the superhero in two films, and currently, Tom Holland portrays Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies.
“Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”, which is streaming on JioHotstar, follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming a hero, with a journey unlike we’ve ever seen and a style that celebrates the character’s early comic book roots, as per the official logline.
Thames said the show made him remember his childhood days, especially when he was in school.
“(I) remembered what it was like to be in ninth grade. Like how much everything mattered, how dramatic everything was, the stakes were so high, everything was the biggest deal… just tapping into that youthful energy and going back and watching my old skateboarding videos and kind of just putting myself in that place.” The show, despite its modern setting, has a retro charm, Thames said. “I have an obsession with the ’50s and ’60s which adds to my excitement. I slick my hair back and my grandma is an old Vegas singer, it’s something I have always loved. So when I saw this animation style for the first time, I freaked out because it was so cool. This is so retro and it is a time period I was already obsessed with,” Thames said.
When questioned about the difficulty of playing a character who lives two separate lives, Thames replied that it wasn't troublesome for him since Spider-Man's mask does most of the work.
“People don’t seem to notice for whatever reason, so I kind of got to stay consistent with it, which was nice,” he added.
Directed and written by Jeff Trammell, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man also has Colman Domingo, Eugene Byrd, Grace Song, Zeno Robinson, Hugh Dancy, and Charlie Cox in the voice cast.
Read also| Watch| Randeep Hooda Celebrates Valentine’s Day with a Kiss for Wife Lin Laishram
Read also| John Abraham Portrays Indian Diplomat J.P. Singh in 'The Diplomat' Trailer
