AICN Interviews Peter Cullen

As part of the promotion for the upcoming September 2nd release of Transformers on Blu-Ray, AICN spoke with the voice of Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen. The full interview is here and below is some choice bits. Thanks to Chris for the link.

Beaks: As a working voice actor, I can't imagine that you know, one show to the next, whether your work is going to make a deep imprint in the popular culture. Was there any inkling when you took on the role of Optimus Prime that this character was going to leave a deeper groove than the others?
Cullen: I think so. When I saw the character breakdown, I said, "This is indeed a real hero. This is not like any hero we've ever seen before." He penetrated different zones. There was a sense of him. He wasn't just muscle and strength. He went beyond that. There was dignity and courage, and a soft spoken honor and integrity about him. Very well written. So to apply those traits... they weren't necessarily implicated in the script; I just did an impression of my brother Larry, who served in the Marine Corps, and lowered the voice. I think we nailed it. The scripts were wonderfully written, and there was so much to absorb in a half-hour. Don't forget, Jeremy, that was how many years ago? 1984? '85? Gee whiz, I was just a child! (Laughs)

Beaks: And the Blu-ray is only going to stoke more anticipation for TRANSFORMERS 2, which is shooting right now. Have you had the opportunity to visit the set, see any footage or chat with Michael Bay?
Cullen: I've had one work day with Michael. We did the opening. But I didn't have the opportunity to see any real footage - until I was leaving. I hate to use the word over and over "knocked out", but I was stopped in my tracks. "Whoa! Can I see that again!?!?" It's going to be huge.

Beaks: Just when you thought they couldn't top the spectacle of the first movie?
Cullen: No question. He's excited, too. Bay is really excited. He's animated. He's such a creative guy and a perfectionist. He's got a high energy level that's really cool.

Beaks: He gets a bit like a little kid when he's working.
Cullen: You can see his brain working. What goes on in that head of his is indescribable. (Laughs) He's amazing.

Beaks: How much of a connection have you been able to form with the human actors? Now that the first film was a hit and you know you'll be making more, have you had the opportunity to interact with Shia or Megan?
Cullen: Nope. None of the above. I have not met anyone. I know Charlie Adler [the voice of Starscream], but aside from the voiceover people... I didn't even meet Hugo Weaving. I admired his work, but... I haven't had an opportunity to be with the real actors. During this year, I'm sure there will be a time where I'll be able to go to the studio and see some of that. I'm looking forward to that.

Beaks: But I watching TRANSFORMERS over the weekend on HBO, and I was noticing how you subtly changed your vocal performance from the cartoon. You gave Optimus a little more lightness. We get to see a funnier side.
Cullen: Right. I think you'll see more of that. His relationship with humans demands that he be more human. When he's one-on-one with Sam or the other characters, there's an opportunity for more humor and sensitivity, not just stone-cold metal. Coming into that human element... it's different; it's a little challenging because you have to be more conversational without stepping out of his character or losing any of his ingredients. We'll see more of that, I think. I don't want to speculate, but it seems to be going that way.

Peter Cullen At Work On TF2

In an interview with Reading Eagle, Peter Cullen confirmed that he is back at work on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to reprise his role of Optimus Prime.

"Optimus is my favorite character because it's been so well received and it's had such an effect on so many people," Cullen said. "Because of that, I hold it closer than any other character I've done - outside of maybe Eeyore, who's had a considerable effect on younger children too.

Right now Cullen is happily juggling a variety of projects. He's penning a novel with autobiographical elements and continues to voice Eeyore for the Playhouse Disney series "My Friends Tigger & Pooh." And he's logging time in a studio to record his lines as Optimus Prime for the "Transformers" sequel, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

"I have started," Cullen said. "I worked with Michael a few weeks ago and we did some of the opening dialogue, the opening speech and then a couple of scenes with Shia LaBeouf. Shia wasn't there, of course. I just worked from the script."

So what happens in the sequel?

"They're very secretive about the story," he said. "I only know the lines I've read, and I'm not allowed to disclose any of those. But the amount of success that 'Transformers' had on a financial level is providing a lot more screen time for Optimus Prime. It's very expensive to do all these robot characters because of the 10,000 moving parts.

"Thankfully we were a hit, so there's 'Transformers 2' and maybe 'Transformers 3.' I think 'Transformers 2' is going to be an incredible, incredible picture. I can see the excitement in the faces of the people involved, and it generates quite a bit of excitement in me too."

Peter Cullen DVD Related Interview

Superherohype has posted an interview with Peter Cullen from Friday when he hosted a press conference about the special features of the HD-DVD version of Transformers.

The full interview is here.

Some highlights:
- Not comfortable with celebrity, likes the anonymity that voice over work brings.
- Slight changes where made to his Optimus voice to "justify its size relative to the actors on screen." (Personally I can't tell if a change was made or not. So it one was made compliments to the sound crew for making it near invisible).
- Wasn't really aware of the popularity of Transformers until his first convention in 98 or 99 (probably Botcon which is held annually in various locations) after being encouraged by his daughter to go.
- Did audition with Bay for the role of Optimus for the movie.
- HD-DVD features: Picture in picture during the commentary so can see Bay, Spielberg and other filmmakers. Disc 2 allows zoom and 350 view of the robots.