In a Deadline exclusive interview, Spider Noir’s Li Jun Li revealed how showrunner Oren Uziel allowed her incredible creative control over the development of her character, Black Cat. She also mentioned how her background in theatre helped her to relate to the character in a deeper way.
Normally, in the Spider Noir universe of the Spider-Man comic books, Black Cat is a stereotypical cat-suit-wearing female cat burglar. Yet Li says she wanted to do more with the character to fit her own history and heritage. With her generous amount of creative control, she completely remixed the character to become an Asian-American femme fatale nightclub singer. She claims that a few years ago, in an interview, she said that she wanted to play a femme fatale and that she must have manifested the role into existence.
As someone who started out in music theatre and ended up making her Broadway debut at the Lincoln Center, she says she understood the role on a different level. She didn’t have to force herself into the role; it just came very naturally. Li says that it was very important to her to build an entire history that was real and grounded, and that she truly resonates with the pain that Black Cat feels underneath. This role seems like a way for Li to express some of her most defining darkness. She says she spent a whole day with Uziel and director Harry Bradbeer drawing up the character and her story.
Whatever it was that Li added with all of her creative control and rich history of theatre, it definitely helped to strike a chord with the viewers. The show has received a wave of praise, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 91%. Prime Video’s Spider Noir is already available in its entire first season on Prime Video.