Spider-Man 2's Natasha Ofili Talks Landing, Expanding, and Playing the Role of Hailey Cooper

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was easily one of 2023’s biggest games and built on the already strong foundations laid by its predecessors. After Marvel’s Spider-Man focused on Peter Parker and Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales shifted the focus to the younger titular web-slinger, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 split protagonist duties between both. It took a deeper look at their friendship and specifically their personal relationships. For Peter, this was Mary Jane; for Miles, the game fleshed out his relationship with Hailey Cooper.

Game Rant recently caught up with Natasha Ofili, the actor who plays Hailey. She talked about how she initially landed the part and the secrecy surrounding it at the start. She also explained how Hailey’s role was initially a lot smaller than it ended up being, thanks to the chemistry she shared with Nadji Jeter, the actor who plays Miles Morales.

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Natasha Ofili on How She Landed the Role in the Marvel’s Spider-Man Series

She Didn’t Know She Auditioned for a Marvel’s Spider-Man Game

It’s not unheard of for actors in the gaming industry to audition for roles without knowing exactly what they are. Some high-profile projects are kept under wraps for prolonged periods until the director is confident they have the right cast in place. Ofili explained that this was very much the case when she had the audition for Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales’ Hailey Cooper, and she spoke of her shock when she found out:

”When I got the audition, they didn’t say it was Marvel. That was a secret. They were looking for an artist, a spray painter, and a woman who was Black and Deaf. Then, once my agency told me I’d got the part, they said, ‘Keep it secret, but it’s actually Marvel. It’s a Spider-Man game.’ My mind was blown! The whole process was really cool. The body scan and getting my face done, everything was crazy. It was so different compared to working on a set.”

Hailey’s Role Became Larger Thanks to the Chemistry Between Ofili and Jeter

Actors have regularly commented on just how different the experience is when working on a video game instead of a movie or TV show, and Ofili, who is also an advocate for Deaf representation in the media, found it challenging in the best possible way. The role of Hailey was initially a very small one, but as she began to work with Nadji Jeter on set, the game’s director noticed the pair’s chemistry. Ofili explained how that caused her role to quickly grow into something more:

”It was a really tiny role to start with, but then working on set with Nadji Jeter, who plays Miles Morales, the director saw our chemistry together. They were like, ‘hmm, wait a minute, they’ve got something good going on here.’ We did some improvised stuff that wasn’t part of the original script, and off the back of that, it grew into something bigger.

The expansion of Hailey’s role culminated in having her own side mission in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which gave gamers a unique look inside the world of a Deaf person. The mission, played in complete silence, highlighted some of the daily struggles a Deaf person can face, and this insight won developer Insomniac Games and Ofili herself plaudits from critics, not to mention the Deaf community as well. Ofili is extremely proud of her work in the games and hopes that her wider body of work can inspire Black & Deaf people across the world.