Chris Hemsworth Shares the Most Nerve-Wracking Aspect of Voicing Optimus Prime

Chris Hemsworth does a fine job voicing Optimus Prime in the new Transformers One animated film, but let’s be honest, he’s no Peter Cullen.

Cullen is Optimus Prime, and there was really no reason to replace him. Sure, the filmmakers will tell you they wanted someone new to voice a younger version of the character, but seriously, they just need to be honest… they wanted a big A-list actor attached to the role. They wanted Chris Hemsworth’s name used in all the marketing, not Peter Cullen’s.

So, we now have an Optimus Prime that sounds like Chris Hemsworth. When talking about taking on the role of this iconic character, Hemsworth shared what was so nerve-wracking about it:

“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.”

He went on to talk about being directed by Josh Cooley and how there were time he had to reel it in, saying: “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.’

He added: “It was something that really excited me about the film and the character. It was a fresh take and something unique.”

The version of Optimus Prime that we meet in this movie is not the same character that many of us grew up with. This is a reimagining of the character, and they made that clear with this movie. Regardless of that, this is a really fun movie that tell a solid story.