Hugo Weaving talks Transformers

eagc7 · 10-15-2012, 12:31 PM

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As the voice of Megatron, has Michael Bay called about the next Transformers movie yet?

WEAVING: No. That’s a weird job for me because it honestly was a two-hour voice job, initially. I was doing a play and I actually didn’t have time, anyway. It was one of the only things I’ve ever done where I had no knowledge of it, I didn’t care about it, I didn’t think about it. They wanted me to do it. In one way, I regret that bit. I don’t regret doing it, but I very rarely do something if it’s meaningless. It was meaningless to me, honestly. I don’t mean that in any nasty way. I did it. It was a two-hour voice job, while I was doing other things. Of course, it’s a massive film that’s made masses of money. I just happened to be the voice of one of the iconic villainess characters. But, my link to that and to Michael Bay is so minimal. I have never met him. I was never on set. I’ve seen his face on Skype. I know nothing about him, really. I just went in and did it. I never read the script. I just have my lines, and I don’t know what they mean. That sounds absolutely pathetic! I’ve never done anything like that, in my life. It’s hard to say any more about it than that, really.

StayingInTheBox · 10-15-2012, 12:34 PM

I believe we've seen or heard about this from a past interview ... not too shocking.

Gryph · 10-15-2012, 12:46 PM

It's not any kind of surprise. It would have been like that for pretty much anyone. Megatron barely had any lines throughout all 3 movies.

SPLIT LIP · 10-15-2012, 12:47 PM

Nothing really new here. I didn't really expect him to return myself.

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Originally Posted by Gryph

It's not any kind of surprise. It would have been like that for pretty much anyone. Megatron barely had any lines throughout all 3 movies.

That's actually how it is with a lot of voice acting gigs, especially VA parts in live-action movies.

megatroptimus · 10-15-2012, 12:47 PM

It's fun to see how Bay hired a guy who doesn't care instead of Welker...

SPLIT LIP · 10-15-2012, 12:48 PM

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Originally Posted by megatroptimus

It's fun to see how Bay hired a guy who doesn't care instead of Welker...

And yet he still pulled in a better performance.

megatroptimus · 10-15-2012, 12:50 PM

You know nothing about that, Welker never did it. Weaving's Megatron is very, very generic.

FatalT 71 · 10-15-2012, 12:51 PM

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Originally Posted by megatroptimus

It's fun to see how Bay hired a guy who doesn't care instead of Welker...

Yep.

Megatron was essentially phoned in.

What a joke...

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Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

And yet he still pulled in a better performance.

Not necessarily. Given the chance, who knows what a talent like Welker, who has an affinity and connection to the character, might have pulled off? It didn't have to be the G1 voice, necessarily.

Lbsammills51 · 10-15-2012, 12:53 PM

As posted above, hardly surprising in any way, but it is both darkly hilarious and (for the fandom, to a degree) a little disheartening to read this each time he talks about Megs/Transformers in an interview.

All that said, I'd be interested in him doing Megs again in some fashion, be it in flashback sequences during future films or in other Transformers media. I do enjoy Frank Welker and have loved his voice acting on Prime, but I did like what Hugo Weaving did and am welcome to his returning in some fashion as Megs or another character somehow.

SPLIT LIP · 10-15-2012, 12:53 PM

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Originally Posted by megatroptimus

You know nothing about that, Welker never did it.

He did it in the games. And he has his Megatron-falling-asleep voice in Prime.

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Weaving's Megatron is very, very generic.

Maybe in the first movie where they deepened it to the extreme, but not in 2 and 3. Unless by generic you mean "finally a good Megatron voice that wasn't David Kaye" then yes.

The thing is, while we the fandom may be hinging on every dicision and whatnot, we're always the ones who care the most. For the majority of people in the business it's just a job, plain and simple.

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Originally Posted by FatalT 71

Megatron was essentially phoned in.

Skyped in, actually.

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Given the chance, who knows what a talent like Welker, who has an affinity and connection to the character, might have pulled off?

Who gives a shit? All is said and done and we already got a great voice for the movie. Just because it's reveaed after the fact that his VA didn't give a damn doesn't change the fact that it was good.

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It didn't have to be the G1 voice, necessarily.

Then why bother with him anyway?

10-15-2012, 12:34 PM	#2
StayingInTheBox Arizonacon™ - Mattalhawk™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 10,486 Location: Glendale, AZ Collection Count: > 1,000 News Credits: 25	I believe we've seen or heard about this from a past interview ... not too shocking. The G1 Journey's Latest Article: Encore Fortress Maximus Arizona Meet Up -Twitter - TFW Feedback - B/S/T

10-15-2012, 12:46 PM	#3
Gryph Action Master Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 7,451 Location: Cincinnati Collection Count: Beats me! News Credits: 7	It's not any kind of surprise. It would have been like that for pretty much anyone. Megatron barely had any lines throughout all 3 movies. The Great Action Master Thundercracker Thread (Last update Power Core Combiners)

10-15-2012, 12:47 PM	#5
megatroptimus Kelly Hrudey for PM Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 12,503 Collection Count: 250 News Credits: 12	It's fun to see how Bay hired a guy who doesn't care instead of Welker... *Selling my collection here. From G1 to now, Botcon, 3rd party, name it.* Updated 04.30.13.

10-15-2012, 12:50 PM	#7
megatroptimus Kelly Hrudey for PM Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 12,503 Collection Count: 250 News Credits: 12	You know nothing about that, Welker never did it. Weaving's Megatron is very, very generic. *Selling my collection here. From G1 to now, Botcon, 3rd party, name it.* Updated 04.30.13.