Black Deaf actress’s 2nd appearance in newly released Spider-Man video game
Renca: In November 2020, we, The Daily Moth, reported about a Black Deaf actress, Natasha Ofili, known for her role in “The Politician” and “Mather” has a character named Hailey Cooper in “Spider-Man: Miles Morales” video game on PlayStation 5 (PS5). “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” video game by Marvel and Insomniac Games was recently released and Natasha continues her role as Hailey Cooper, the street artist and community activist.
[PHOTO CREDIT: Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment]
In this 2nd video game, there will be more representation of Hailey and she is a playable character. We reached out to Natasha for her to share her experience and how she feels about Hailey being a playable character.
Natasha: When I got the part in the first Spider-Man: Miles Morales game, well, at first I had no idea the part was for the game. Once I was informed of that, I was thrilled. Wow! My role in the first game was supposed to be small. So with that expectation in mind, I showed up on set to do my duty as an actor, still in a way that represented myself. And somehow during that workday, it was the middle of the day and the directors were having a chat that I couldn’t help but notice. They loved the chemistry between Miles and Hailey, which sparked more thought between them on how cool it was. So we added some improvisations that weren’t originally in the plan. Like the famous scene with my scarf in the first game, that wasn’t planned. So, yeah! It went from a small role to something bigger. Hailey has a personality and a lot to offer as a Black Deaf girl. That’s really inspiring. When the first game was released, I didn’t know that Hailey had gone viral. People were hitting me up and I didn’t understand why until I went to Twitter and found out! Oh, the whole world loved her! Wow, it was so unexpected, I really didn’t expect that at all. Especially being a Black Deaf woman in this world, it’s hard. We’re often not perceived that way, dark-skinned Black Deaf women. So when the love for Hailey was pouring in, it brought me so much joy. I felt seen, I felt heard. And now with the second game, since Hailey went viral I was brought back. Insomniac Games gave me a really nice surprise. The first day we were working on set, there was a PowerPoint deck prepared for all the actors. So we gathered together to watch the presentation about Hailey in the second game. They explained more about her mission and purpose. And then the presentation ended with: First Black Deaf girl to be a playable character in a game. I was shocked, she’ll be a playable character?! That explained why the script was so lengthy. There was a lot of dialogue, and that’s because she had her own side missions. That’s just…wow. Insomniac Games was really invested in authentic representation of the Deaf experience and Deaf culture. There was an amazing ASL team and Deaf actors working on set. They really listened. Most importantly to me as an actor, they always made sure I was good before moving on to the next scene. They made sure I felt the dialogue was authentic and true before we moved on. That was always the goal. So I feel that as Hailey, I did my job to convey her authentically.
[PHOTO CREDIT: Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment]
It’s amazing how technology has continued to evolve from the first game to the second game. Insomniac Games already set the bar high for the first game. Now the second game tops the first, it’s more precise and clear with the hand motions. The signing was captured so precisely. I like how they’ve continued to try to figure it out and not just accept it as is, but to improve on it. And working at a game studio compared to a traditional set is completely different. It felt more challenging because you’re essentially working with a blank canvas. You’re in this big studio with nothing but cameras. There were some lines on the floor to serve as fake steps that you had to pretend were there. So for example, there’s a bridge in the game that Miles (this is his name sign), and Hailey are walking across. So we’d have to walk a fake bridge and hold a fake phone. Then we’d follow the script, and of course, there was a bit of improv which is always the fun part. It takes place in New York so we had to imagine the visuals of people passing us on the bridge, even though there was nothing there! So that was an added challenge compared to working on a traditional set. On set, you have physical, tangible things, you can see the clothing and everything and that helps you lock into the mood of the set, whereas with a game studio, the actors have to fully invest in the mental aspect, like what our relationship as characters is like in that moment. It’s so cool.
[VIDEO CREDIT: Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment]
Miles: Is it 1800s? I love the braids.
Hailey: (It is the 1800;s with a high-collar prismatic dress)
Miles: Okay…
Hailey: (It juxtaposes Black History and Black Futurism)
(The gold paint reflects better in person, at Coney)
Miles: Yeah okay, all right I see it.
[Video ends]
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[Sponsored video from Convo: www.convorelay.com]
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My message to our Black and Brown Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals in this world is this. First things first, I do see you. I see all of you. And I don’t want you to give up. The work you do will pay off. I feel like in this role as Hailey, not only did I have to fight for myself, but I also fought for you. I want to make sure I’m doing all of you proud. And yes, it’s hard. I understand. Paving the way is extremely hard and I admit it hasn’t been easy for me. But the impact of all of this has given me joy, hope, and the space to say, yes, we’re out there and we need to be seen and heard too. This is only the beginning and I feel like doors will continue to open little by little, then exponentially after that. We’re in those beginning stages right now. But I see you. And I hope all of you out there will support us too.
Renca: Thank you, Natasha, for your time. If you have a PS5, you can check out “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.”
2020 interview: https://www.dailymoth.com/blog/black-deaf-actress-in-new-spider-man-ps5-game