Spider-Man Star Reeve Carney Talks Spinning Shakespeare in The Tempest

Spider-Man’s Reeve Carney may be currently battling flying villains at the Foxwoods Theatre, but the rising star found himself facing a different type of challenge while filming his new movie, The Tempest (which is also helmed by Spider-Man director Julie Taymor). “It was hard for me because not only was this my first major acting job, but it’s Shakespeare and I had to have a British accent as well,” Carney told Broadway.com.

So how did the actor/musician perfect the vernacular? “I spoke with the accent at all times for three months straight because it was easier for me rather than switching back and forth,” he said of playing Prince Ferdinand in the film. “It was hard, but I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off otherwise because it’s such a different way of speaking.” If Carney was nervous his co-stars, including three-time Tony nominee Alfred Molina (who appeared as the villainous Dr. Octavius in the movie Spider-Man 2), certainly couldn’t tell: “When I told Alfred, whose from England, that I grew up in California, he was like, ‘What?! I thought you were from London!’”

Despite the difficulty of tackling a British accent, working on the Shakespeare classic definitely had its perks. “It was pretty comfortable,” Carney admits. “We filmed mainly in Hawaii and were living in The Four Seasons!” The actor also enjoyed the creative environment maintained by his Tony-winning director. “Julie is very easy to collaborate with because I relate to her. I feel like we have a kindred spirit, and I hope we get to keep working together in the future.”

The Tempest hits select theaters on December 10. Spider-Man,Turn Off the Dark opens on Broadway on January 11.