The rest of it was just being in a studio with 14 other guys and gals and doing your script and having a ball.”Ĭullen may not have set out to become a voice actor, but his background of acting, announcing and radio seems a perfect precursor for the profession. He wanted to see if you could act, communicate with a human being. You had to be a little more responsive to the human characters because of Michael Bay’s direction. But there was some challenges in doing that. “I was curious to see how much of it would remain the same. “When it went to film, the big film, it was a leap,” he says. In fact, Cullen said the transformation from animated to live-action was surprisingly smooth. But I’m making too much of a thing out of it. But, come to think of it, I probably could have read the line satirically and gotten away with it. I took the character very seriously and I still do. It wasn’t slanderous or anything, it was just the choice of words and temper. I don’t even like repeating them so I won’t. “My instinct was that it was wrong and it was something he would never say. “I refused to use a couple or words and I was forced to,” he says. In fact, he took a stand against a small snippet of dialogue that he felt was inappropriate, a battle he ultimately lost. Maybe it’s because of those poignant origins, but it’s a job that Cullen has taken to heart over the years. Directed by Michael Bay, the film begat a lucrative franchise and plenty of work for Cullen, who has voiced the character in all four sequels and its 2018 spin-off, Bumblebee. He has played the role for various mediums over the years, including the 2007 mega-budgeted, live-action blockbuster. Other actors have voiced the role, but it’s safe to say that Cullen is the actor best known for giving life to the heroic leader of the Autobots, a giant robot from another planet who can transform into a semi-trailer truck.Ĭullen first got the role back in the 1980s for the animated series, which itself was based on a popular line of Japanese toys. But it goes a long way in revealing why Optimus Prime is not only the Montreal-born voice actor’s most famous creation but also his favourite. That film arrives in theaters on June 9th, 2023.Cullen has told the story before. The film also stars Peter Dinklage as Scourge, Michelle Yeoh as Airazor, Pete Davidson as Mirage, Liza Koshy, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and Cristo Fernández. ( Creed II) directed the film, and it also stars Luna Lauren Valez, Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, and Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal. The next movie “will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers – the Maximals – to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth.” I've talked to a lot of people who grew up with Transformers, and I don't take them for granted. It's an honor to be able to do this character. There's that integrity, there's a dignity, there's courage. "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has the same ingredients that were there at the beginning. When talking about returning to play the character again in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, he said: It’s really cool to hear that story from one of the most beloved voice actors ever. If you're going to be a leader, be strong enough to be gentle.' And I got to the audition and I said, 'My name is Optimus Prime, from the planet Cybertron.' I had no doubt that this is what a hero should sound like, and I was convinced I was gonna get that role."Īnd the rest is history. This is a hero.' And his demeanor just changed. I'm gonna be a truck.' And he started to laugh and he said, 'A truck?!' And I said, 'This is a leader. "When I voiced Prime for the very first time, I was living with my brother Larry, who was a Marine. He’s been doing it for 40 years!ĭuring a recent interview with the voice actor, he shared his experience voicing the character for the very first time and what inspired how he played Prime. Cullen’s voice is iconic and no one will ever really be able to play this fan-favorite character better than he has. Peter Cullen has been voicing Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise since the classic 80s cartoon series and he reprised his role again in the latest film in the franchise, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
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