But we had a very easy working relationship and that allowed improvisation on occasion. I have tremendous respect for him, of course, and I love working with talented people because it's a rare experience in most cases. IGN: Because of the intense planning required for the film in terms of special effects and CGI, did you have a lot of opportunities to improvise or come up with alternate dialogue suggestions? Cullen: There was improvisation, and working with Michael Bay was always to me a thrill. With Prime, that's the way I would describe it. I just slipped right into them, and they felt as good as the last time I put them on. I describe it as kind of slipping into an old pair of very comfortable shoes that you haven't worn for a while. Is it tough or easy to get back into character, or is that even a challenge as a voice actor? Cullen: It was more like 20 years. IGN: Presumably it's been 10 or 15 years since you performed Optimus' voice. They honored it and that's when I was brought into the picture. Their thermometer was the fan base, and the executive producers went with that. IGN: Once you returned to the character what direction were you given by director Michael Bay or the producers? Cullen: The overall direction I had a year ago was they wanted what the fans wanted, and upon their insistence, they kind of had guidelines as to how far they could go. when there was talk of bringing back the original Optimus Prime, that was when I became involved. IGN Movies: What were your initial feelings when they announced they were making a live-action Transformers movie? Peter Cullen: Well, they were mixed because I haven't had any involvement since 1986, and I was aware of the rumblings of the movie and the anticipation of that. Speaking to Cullen via phone, he talked about popping back into Prime's chassis, working with high-octane helmer Bay, and looking at the legacy he created not only on Transformers but across all of his 40-plus year career. But as the longtime offscreen talent told IGN, his experience returning to the role was a surprisingly low-key affair, expectations be damned. recruit the voice actor in lieu of some higher-profile name (or more accurately, voice). The reason for his unexpected appearance on the landscape of summer blockbusters is simple: Cullen played Optimus Prime in the beloved animated series upon which Transformers is based, and fans demanded that Bay and Co. But with the highly-anticipated live-action adaptation threatening to destroy box office records in a matter of weeks, it's easy to credit Cullen with overshadowing even the brightest of A-list stars. Mind you, the "biggest" distinction is largely physical Cullen provides the voice of Optimus Prime, the statuesque robot leader of the Autobots in Michael Bay's Transformers. Dubious a claim as it might be in a movie season featuring Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, and Tobey Maguire, the biggest star of the summer of 2007 is the one guy almost no one has heard of: Peter Cullen.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |