At 41 years of age, Chris Hemsworth is as pop culturally relevant as ever. Whether he’s jumping off a cliff on Disney+, cameoing as Thor in the biggest movie of the year, or taking on the origins of the iconic Optimus Prime in his latest film, Transformers One, it seems that Hemsworth is always popping up in the major areas of the entertainment world. Well, despite being an A-lister who is in good enough shape to pass for an actual Norse God, he still gets intimidated, as he recently told me about the nerve-racking task of living up to the foundation laid by legendary voice actor Peter Cullen.
Cullen is the original voice of Optimus Prime in the Transformers universe, having portrayed the character since the 1980s Transformers series and continuing to do so through Michael Bay’s live-action adaptations and beyond. When I caught up with Chris Hemsworth to talk Transformers One, we discussed what it was like to repeat some of those iconic catchphrases, which is when this came up:
I was thankful that what wasn't required of me was to come in and mimic/rip off what Peter Cullen had done. This was the youthful version. Playful, before he had become the all-knowing, wise Optimus Prime. Toward the end of the film, there's kind of one speech or two where we really lean into the cadence and the vocal quality of what Peter was doing. And that was the most nerve-racking part for me.
Nerve-wracking indeed! It’s charming to know that Chris Hemsworth holds Peter Cullen’s work in such high regard that he would be intimidated trying to convey the evolution of Optimus Prime's voice. I guess Hemsworth really might be a geek just like the rest of us. Despite his fears, this is not the nine-million-year-old Optimus Prime we all know and love, so he was able to do something different entirely, even if his initial instinct was to jump the gun. Hemsworth continued:
There were times in the film where I was leaning toward it a little too heavily, a little too early, and Josh (Cooley) was like, ‘Oh, it sounds great, but we're not there yet.’ It was something that really excited me about the film and the character. It was a fresh take and something unique.
He’s not wrong! You’ve never seen the rebellious, smart aleck Optimus Prime critics have fallen in love with in Transformers One. They’re not alone, as the fan reactions claim that the trailers “don’t do this justice.” The whole cast, including Brian Tyree Henry and Keegan-Michael Key, were also delightful in our full interviews on behalf of the film, and like it or not, that’s reason enough for me to go support this unique prequel at the box office.
Luckily, the film is in theaters right now! As for everything else coming our way on the 2024 movie release schedule, keep it here at CinemaBlend for the latest news.
