Paramount hosted several journalists from different websites to show off their turbo HD DVD features for the upcoming "Transformers" release on Tuesday. The best part of the day for me, however, was eating lunch alfresco with the voice of "Optimus Prime" - Peter Cullen.
Cullen is a handsome, charming man originally from Canada who is one of the true old-school voice-over actors still working. Mr. Cullen worked with legendary Walt Disney and Paul Winchell, the voice of Winnie the Pooh, who Mr. Cullen described as a "true genius."
Peter Cullen is also the wonderful voice of Eeyore in the Winnie-the-Pooh series.
We were all curious to know if anyone ever picked him out when he spoke, or when he was out and about as the famous benevolent Autobot.
"I'm not recognizable," Mr. Cullen told us. "That's one of the perks about being in voiceover, nobody sees your face and unless I purposely do a voice would I get a reaction with children… I like that anonymity."
Mr. Cullen continued. "I've always kind of felt when I was a kid, I remember being disappointed at seeing the physical look of the person behind the voice because I always had my own imaginative in my brain of what that person looked like. When I met that person, it did even come close so I'm afraid that some child will have that same reaction to me. I don't push it."
Cullen has been fortunate to continue his great work as Optimus Prime and Ironhide, from the cartoon series of Transformers that started in 1984, and continue as the narrator in both American Voltron series.
In addition, he has played Coran and King Alfor in the Lion Voltron series, the transforming spaceship/robot Ramrod in the '80s anime series Saber Rider And The Star Sheriffs, Commander James Hawkins in the Vehicle Voltron series, KARR in Knight Rider, Antor and Bomba, and Gunner, in Dino-Riders, and Mantus in The Pirates of Dark Water.
Mr. Cullen as Transformers hero Optimus Prime has lasted for over 20 years, and he has his brother Larry to thank for the inspiration of the voice. Brother Larry is only 13 months older than Peter, who was filled with pride as he shared with us that Larry is a decorated Vietnam Vet.
We all felt his love and respect as he described Larry's exasperation at Peter's mimicking of his voice. "Peter, you're pushing that just a little over the edge," Cullen laughed, demonstrating in his Larry/Optimus voice.
"My brother was a captain in the Marine Corps, and a very big hero in my life. His approach to serious situations was always calm and controlled an authoritative," shared Mr. Cullen.
He talked a bit about how it all happened.
"It was my brother Larry. We're very close. He's like my best friend. We're 13 months apart. It's quite a serious story how I came about. I was impersonating my brother Larry.
He served in the Marine Corps and was in Vietnam. [He was] a Purple Heart recipient, a bronze star recipient. When he came home there was a significant change in him and that's where I got the qualities that I have applied to Optimus. His voice being the first thing. (in Optimus Prime voice) "Peter cut it out." So we always laugh."
I asked Mr. Cullen if there was anything Michael Bay did to his voice to enhance it for the screen version of Optimus Prime.
"Yes, I think they did. I had a question about that early on with Michael Bay. I was just curious. I wasn't going to object in any way. It was their film, but I just wanted to know if they were going to make my voice as recognizable as it was on the original series. And he (Bay) said, "don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. We're going to do something to justify it's size relative to the actors on screen."
"If he's a 40 foot high mechanical robot and Shia LaBeouf is less than his knee cap or whatever it is, he had to justify the sound without losing the character and without losing the original nuances that we had developed back in '84."
Mr. Cullen had high praise for director Michael Bay, stating that his mind was always working "all the time," and that he had never met anyone who knew more about cars, noting his generosity and attention to details.
"When I heard the movie was going to be done, and then I heard rumors that big actors ... I finally got a call from my agent. I met with Michael Bay, the director, and I didn't hear anything for a little while. And then when I met with Michael again. I guess he had a few feelings that he wanted to rectify in his own mind, and then go over a couple of scenes, and then he agreed to go with me."
Mr. Cullen elaborated on the experience of working with Mr. Bay: "He was wonderful. He's an exciting man to work for and even if you didn't know anything about him, he has a presence.
It's a strong presence and that presence alone is enough to energize you.
I was very privileged because I can't imagine accomplishing the things that he's accomplished by just in scope alone in size. I would look at that and say, 'that's insurmountable.' I have to admire him for that because I'm in awe of that. 'How does he do that?' Then you see him in action and you understand why.
That brain is going all the time like the Energizer. It was a privilege and it was a pleasure. It was always a joy."
Mr. Cullen was asked if he ever felt a sense of possessiveness with his characters like Optimus.
"I would say that if you do a character long enough, you do develop a sense of possession to it because it does become a part of you and you have an awareness of the popularity and how it's affected people.
In this general case with Optimus, I am personally attached that way, but I will never allow myself to get so personally attached to something that I'll be injured the way I was hurt when I was replaced.
It's hard enough to justify your day laborer attitude without being stomped on all the time. But that's life.. and I just avoid those areas where I can be terribly disappointed - that's part of it - I just move on. As far as some of the other characters I've done, I hope to never have to go back to them again. Some of them (laughing)."
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