Being told you're not good enough or worthy in life can be incredibly disheartening. But, sometimes, it has the power to deter a person from pursuing that dream altogether.
Shameik Moore, the lead voice actor in the critically-acclaimed "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" knows exactly what this is like – but he didn't let it discourage him from pursuing an acting career.
"When I was in seventh grade, my teacher straight up told me that I will not be an actor. But my peers, like the kids that saw me dancing and saw me on TV when I was little — they supported me," the 23-year-old actor recently said in a promotional video for Vodafone Group.
In the "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" animation, Moore plays Miles Morales, a teenager who's bitten by a radioactive spider and develops mysterious powers, leading him to take on the role of Spider-Man.
Prior to its global theater release later this month, the movie has received high critical praise, having secured a rare 100 percent score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of this article's publication.
With Moore starring alongside the likes of Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld and Nicolas Cage, this role is expected to push the actor on to greater roles.
Reflecting on the lack of encouragement he once received when he was younger, Moore said it's very important for young people to "feel like anything is possible when they put their mind to it."
"If you're passionate about it, following that path might lead you to what you're really supposed to do," he added.
Moore's comments come as Vodafone and Sony Pictures announced a global collaboration that aims to support millions of young individuals in recognizing their skills and discovering digital jobs that complement these.
In the promo, Moore tests out Vodafone's "Future Jobs Finder," which offers several short psychometric tests designed to match a person's interests and talents to available jobs and training opportunities. The program itself was launched back in March.
The digital campaign is being launched alongside the movie, as it draws upon a key theme in the film: finding out who you are and what you're capable of.
"One of the great moments in the movie is when Peter Parker says to Miles, 'Don't do it like me, do it like you,' and this is what we want everyone to take away from this movie and use as inspiration to fulfil their own destiny," Andre Seddoh, vice president of international marketing partnerships at Sony Pictures, said in a statement.
For Moore, the movie shows every viewer that "anyone can wear the mask," and this is demonstrated by the various versions of Spider-People seen in the film, including Spider-Gwen and Spider-Man Noir.
"I think that everyone can feel represented and like they can relate."
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