as told to: Jay Riggio
If there’s one person who has been almost solely responsible for bringing Optimus Prime, the leader of the Transformers good guys to life, Peter Cullen is that dude. The truth is, the courageous leader of the Autobots wasn’t shit before voice talent Peter Cullen stepped in and branded the robot with his insanely distinct word modulation. A student of acting, Peter explored the world of radio, then television before opting to concentrate entirely on his voice career. What began as a one-time gig for the Transformers television series that paid for a family trip to Disneyland and placed a tiny dent in his mortgage, has since flourished into a 22-year career as the soaring, forever-wise voice of the iconic Optimus Prime. Peter continues to flex his vocal cord stylings to this day while he revisits the big screen as Prime for the upcoming summer flick, Transformers.
“I was really pleased when I found out I got the role of Optimus Prime. I hooked someone real good [at the audition], and have been wearing the Transformer brand for quite a long time. I really had no idea what it was all about or how far it would go, I was just tickled goofy that a few bucks were on hand for a few weeks.
“Perhaps I contributed in very small doses to the elements of Optimus Prime, but the characters were just written so damn well. The writers thought of everything. I am to this day amazed at the foresight and imagination that went into it all. More than anything, I used the character traits of my older brother Larry [in Optimus] and some other great values of people in my life. Larry served with the Marine Corps in Vietnam. Upon his return, I noticed his calm and yet complete resolve in handling situations of any kind. There was an understanding that comes from sacrifice, and it was filled with wisdom and the understanding of terrible things. I knew if I could translate that to Prime I would have a truthful portrayal of a leader.”
as told to: Jay Riggio photo: Amanda Lopez
