For Chris Hemsworth, whose career has skyrocketed playing Thor in the Marvel universe, the decision to voice Optimus Prime was an easy one, especially after consulting with his children.
“They said, ‘Absolutely, you have to play this role,'” Hemsworth said.
Transformers One This new take on a familiar story tells the childhood of a young Optimus named Orion Pax, who worked as a low-level miner on the planet Cybertron and was once best friends with D-16, who would later become the evil Megatron. Brian Tyree Henry The Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award-nominated actor will voice the younger version of Megatron.
The film charts the journey of these two characters, from friends to enemies, to D-16’s transformation into Megatron.
“I never saw them as they were as young people, when they were friends,” Hemsworth said.
Playing the role of Optimus Prime Hemsworth Hemsworth was downplaying the role, as he would have to live up to the legendary voice of Peter Cullen, who has been synonymous with the character for decades, which prompted Hemsworth to research Cullen.
“He bends his neck and his body in a certain position,” Hemsworth says, “and I used that a little bit, too. That’s exactly what I did. I had to push my vocal cords into a certain position.”
Transformers One The film goes back to the franchise’s animated roots, reviving the nostalgic feel of the original 1980s cartoons, and Hemsworth hopes audiences will enjoy both the action and the heartwarming.
“I hope people take something from this film on a deeper level, but the reason I went to the movies as a kid and the reason I still go to the movies today is fundamentally to just be entertained — to laugh, to smile, to cry, to go on a journey, to have an emotional experience,” Hemsworth said.
Transformers 1, distributed by Paramount Pictures, a subsidiary of CBS parent company Paramount Global, opens in theaters today.
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