Miles Morales actor Shameik Moore explains the context behind his affectionate comments toward Marvel actor Hailee Steinfeld following her engagement. On November 30, 2024, Marvel star Hailee Steinfeld announced her engagement with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Shortly after, Shameik Moore posted a reflection on X saying, "There’s still more people to meet. More opportunities to come. And more chances to try. Live, learn, apply." This vague message was largely interpreted online as a disappointed reaction to Steinfeld's engagement.

Online discussion around Shameik Moore's possible feelings for Hailee Steinfeld snowballed, with a video compilation of Moore's promotional interviews for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse suggesting that Moore repeatedly hinted at his attraction to Steinfeld during the Spider-Verse sequel's press tour. At FAN EXPO San Francisco 2024, which Screen Rant is the media partner for, Miles Morales actor Shameik Moore addresses his compliments to Hailee Steinfeld in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's press tour, underlining his genuine appreciation of working with his co-star. Read Moore's comments below:

A lot of times we don’t get to do it with cast mates, right? Because I might be in New York, Jake [Johnson] might be in Chicago… and we do the voice work from wherever we are.

The second movie Hailee and I worked more. And during interviews, I would speak about how much - I’m reading with Kemp Powers. I’m reading with Chris [Miller] or Phil Lord. So I’m always talking to older men every time either in person or whatever the lines are. [Laughs] And so, I spoke about how fun it was or how much easier it was working with my co-star. And then these video clips got put together.

Earlier in the , Shameik Moore addressed the internet controversy, mentioning: “It’s been a tough weekend, my brother. The internet’s been killing me, I’m sorry.”

What Shameik Moore's Hailee Steinfeld & Spider-Verse Comments Mean

Shameik Moore Explains How He Complimented Hailee Steinfeld Within The Context Of The Voice Acting Process

Shameik Moore clarifies that his compliments to Hailee Steinfeld were based on his appreciation for working with a talented female voice actor his same age. The voice acting process is quite different from regular filming, as actors often play their characters individually in a recording booth. Although Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's 52 characters make it a bigger movie than many live-action superhero movies, spending time with a co-star tends to be a more special event in animated movies than it is in live-action movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Moore's comments could also apply to every member of the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse cast. However, Shameik Moore may have simply intended to acknowledge his iration for co-star Hailee Steinfeld during the few events they could attend together. Of course, Moore's comments to Hailee and the vague wording of his X post can easily inspire different interpretations. However, it's also important to note that internet discussions tend to exaggerate these kinds of interpretations.

Our Take On Shameik Moore's Hailee Steinfeld & Spider-Verse Comments

Online Assumptions Are A Delicate Matter For Celebrities Like Shameik Moore And Hailee Steinfeld

While it's natural for people to read too deeply into celebrities' comments, nuance is often lost when a specific action or remark gains traction on the internet. Shameik Moore's compliments and X post don't address Hailee Steinfeld directly, yet some have interpreted them as him "losing his mind" over Steinfeld's engagement, which has been overshadowed by the controversy. Others have also inferred that Moore is bothered by the fact that all three previous Spider-Man actors have dated their co-stars. However, unless Moore or Steinfeld confirm them directly, Moore's romantic feelings for his Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse co-star will remain a rumor.

What This Means For Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse

Shameik Moore's Controversy Probably Won't Affect Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

In theory, the online controversy around Shameik Moore's apparent reaction to Hailee Steinfeld's engagement could lead to delays for the Spider-Verse threequel. However, the rumors shouldn't affect Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's ending cliffhanger and provide a conclusion to the animated Spider-Verse trilogy.

The romantic relationship between Shameik Moore's Miles Morales and Hailee Steinfeld's Gwen Stacy will likely continue to be developed

After the internet's unexpected reaction to Shameik Moore's X post, Moore may be more careful about his comments during Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse's press tour, in order to avoid further misunderstandings. Still, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse's plot will likely remain unchanged, and the romantic relationship between Shameik Moore's Miles Morales and Hailee Steinfeld's Gwen Stacy will likely continue to be developed. At the end of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Gwen Stacy tries to reach out to Miles following his escape from the Spider-Society, only to discover that Miles landed in a different universe.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will pick up exactly where Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse left off.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse was originally slated for March 2024. Following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the Spider-Verse sequel was put on hold, and it was later moved to 2027. During this time, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse must be deep in development, with both the script and the animation work receiving much more time than initially planned. As it stands, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse isn't expected to be delayed any further.

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