Peter Cullen IGN interview

Gnaw · 06-08-2007, 11:15 PM

Delete if old:

http://movies.ign.com/articles/795/795203p1.html

Quote:

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. [But] when there was talk of bringing back the original Optimus Prime, that was when I became involved.

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. Their thermometer was the fan base, and the executive producers went with that. They honored it and that's when I was brought into the picture.

IGN: Presumably it's been 10 or 15 years since you performed Optimus' voice. 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. I describe it as kind of slipping into an old pair of very comfortable shoes that you haven't worn for a while. I just slipped right into them, and they felt as good as the last time I put them on. With Prime, that's the way I would describe it.

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. I have tremendous respect for him, of course, and I love working with talented people because it's a rare experience in most cases. But we had a very easy working relationship and that allowed improvisation on occasion. There were times when he would say, "Would he say something like this?" And I would say, "Most definitely." Or perhaps, "Maybe not." But we never delved into that to any serious level; it was relaxed and very open, and he was very appreciative. That made me perform to my best.

IGN: Having played this character for so long in the '80s, what was the essence or core of the character you knew you needed to convey, whether it was for the fans who were familiar with Optimus, or for newcomers to the story?

Cullen: That's a good question, and I think the easiest way for me to approach the character was to [emphasize] the character traits that made him popular, and I was nervous at the beginning to know if these traits would indeed still be there and, of course, they were. So that made it a lot easier, but the character traits that I think the fan base were feeling were I guess strength, courage, integrity, the honor and the passion -- that leadership quality that I think the fans attached themselves to all of those years ago. They are still there, I'm glad to say.

ActionMasterZod · 06-08-2007, 11:18 PM

I do belive this is new.

Lio Convoy75 · 06-08-2007, 11:35 PM

Was just about to post this, but you beat me to it.