The MCU’s favorite web-slinging hero is back with a twist as the new animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man premiered on Disney+ this past week. Before the series was released, we chatted with Hudson Thames, who voices Peter Parker/Spider-Man to learn all about voice acting and getting into character as such an iconic superhero. 

The animated series created by Jeff Trammell explores Peter Parker’s origin story and early days on his way to becoming Spider-Man in the MCU. The series is set in an alternate timeline unlike one you’ve ever seen before as Norman Osborn becomes Parker’s mentor instead of Tony Stark. In addition to Hudson, the star studded voice cast features Colman Domingo, Eugene Byrd, Hugh Dancy, Zeno Robinson, and more. The show has already been renewed for two more seasons due to buzz and early rave reviews.

You may already be familiar with Hudson’s famous voice, as he voiced Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the MCU series What If…?. Hudson replaced Tom Holland, who plays the character in live-action films. Hudson is also a musician and signed to Republic Records in 2015. It’s an exciting January for him, as his debut album Bambino was released just a day before the TV series premiere on January 24.

“Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero so when this happened, I really did freak out.”

Hudson revealed that growing up, his favorite superhero was actually Spider-Man so his 14-year-old self would be amazed at where he has taken his career. To get into Peter Parker mode, Hudson said he did a lot of reminiscing about what it was like to be in high school and what his interests were at that time. 

“Peter [Parker] is an optimist and is so hopeful so I really tried to infuse that into everything.”

As both a musician and voice actor, Hudson said he warms up his voice the same for both activities, but joked that he usually sounds best after 1pm instead of in the morning.

“I just try and do [warmups] from 1pm onwards because you’ve spoken more and your voice is in a better place.”

We had to ask Hudson who his favorite Spider-Man of all time is, and while he loves all of them, he said Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man is the most iconic because it is the one he grew up with as a kid. 

For anyone interested in the series, Hudson said he got to have a lot of fun with his lines and even teased the incredible fight scene with scorpion that you’ll have to watch.

“It is more about embracing the motivations of Spiderman while keeping it honest to whatever my relationship with high school was.”

Thank you, Hudson, for chatting with Young Entertainment! Make sure to follow him on his Instagram account at @hudsonthames. Watch the rest of the interview where we ask him more about balancing music with voice acting and what it’s been like voicing his favorite superhero. While you’re there, be sure to like and subscribe to our channel for the latest news in young entertainment. 

Consider this:

• If you are playing a character that is a different age, try to remember what you were like/what excited you when you were that age to get into their headspace.