Guess what! Twenty-three-year-old American actor and rapper Shameik Moore, more popularly recognised for his role as Curtis “Shaolin Fantastic” in the Netflix hit The Get Down and who was christened recently at the 91st Annual Academy Awards for his voice-over role as Miles Morales in the critically-acclaimed and multiple award-winning film Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse has deep Jamaican roots and could eat his mother’s oxtail 24 hours a day.

His parents Sharon and Errol Moore hail from Annotto Bay, St Mary, and Whitfield Town, Kingston 13, respectively. His maternal grandmother Luna Long resides in Annotto Bay and is visited often by her grandson. It could be argued that his creative juices are the result of his father Errol who was part of the legendary Monyaka band and played with many musical greats including Maxi Priest.

“The performance bug bit him when he was 12/13,” said his mum Sharon, from her home in Atlanta, where she works in the medical profession. “He was determined to pursue this path. I was not overjoyed… My husband is an entertainer and I wanted something different for him. He, however, was resolute and led the way.” Moore found a school, told his parents that he needed US$10 per session and the rest is now immortalised in Oscar history.

The accolades are too many to count; the teeny-bopper flick swept several awards this season, including the #1 movie on iTunes, winner of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for Best Animated Film, and the 2019 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Animated.

In a recent Ask Marvel interview, Moore drew comparisons to his character Miles Morales — an Afro-Latino teenager — when he expressed, “I relate to Miles in a way where my family loves me very much, and that Spider-Man chose him out of thousands of people that live in Brooklyn, and Sony chose me out of thousands of people that auditioned for this role!”

“We are very proud and excited. Hard work pays off and Shameik has worked very hard for this. He was the last person to make his way to the stage and ended up holding the Oscar in his hands… that moment will remain with me forever,” his overjoyed mother said.

SO has no doubt that it will.

— whyten@jamaicaobserver.com