Turns out the real threat in I, Robot wasn’t the robots—it was Will Smith’s press team.
At least, that’s how Alan Tudyk remembers it.
The Resident Alien star recently revealed on Jim Cummings’ podcast Toon’d In that, despite delivering one of the film’s most memorable performances, he was virtually erased from its 2004 press campaign—all because test audiences liked him too much… more than Will Smith’s performance as Detective Del Spooner. Yikes.
Tudyk told Cummings:
“They were doing test audiences for the movie, and they score the characters in this kind of test screening. And I got word back: ‘Alan, you are testing higher than Will Smith.’"
"And then I was gone. I was done. There was no publicity, and my name was not mentioned.”
It’s no wonder, then, that many fans had no idea Tudyk was even in the movie.
He continued:
“I was so shocked. I was like, ‘Wait, nobody is going to know I’m in it! I put a lot into… I had to move like a robot. At the time, I was very upset.”
In a movie about machines taking over, it was Hollywood ego that really pulled the plug.
You can watch the I, Robot part of the interview at the 17:20 mark:
- YouTubeToon'd In! / YouTube
When I, Robot hit theaters, advanced motion-capture performances were still rare in live-action films, with notable examples limited to Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars and Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.
Tudyk’s Sonny, a robot programmed with free will and emotions, became a standout, helping Will Smith’s character unravel a murder mystery tied to the world’s robot workforce. Directed by Alex Proyas, the film also starred Bridget Moynahan and James Cromwell, and went on to gross over $350 million worldwide.
Co-host Christopher Judge, Cummings’ stepson, praised Tudyk’s performance, singling out Sonny’s interrogation scene with Smith:
“That was such a good performance too… That freaking interview scene with you and Will Smith, I mean, that like hits you in multiple times; it’s an emotional scene."
"It’s giving humanity to a robot, you know, and I think that scene is like very important for the whole movie, it’s cause that’s when we, as an audience, really feels connected.”
Tudyk didn’t stay out of the mo-cap game for long. More than a decade later, he played the sarcastic Imperial droid K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a role he reprised in flashbacks for Disney+’s Andor.
And beyond sci-fi blockbusters, Tudyk has become something of a Disney lucky charm.
Since 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph, he’s voiced characters in nearly every Walt Disney Animation Studios feature, including the Duke of Weselton in Frozen, the scheming Bellwether in Zootopia, the clueless chicken Heihei in Moana, and KnowsMore in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
He’s also worked with Pixar in Lightyear, DreamWorks with the Ice Age series, and lent his voice to adult animated series like Harley Quinn. On screen, audiences know him from Firefly, A Knight’s Tale, and most recently as the title alien in Resident Alien, which wrapped its final season this year.
Naturally, once Tudyk’s story hit the internet, fans reacted with shock—and a little disbelief—that the man behind so many beloved animated voices was also the one who brought Sonny to life.
Tudyk may have been erased from the press tour, but at least the internet never forgets.
Hosting Tudyk’s revelation was Jim Cummings, a voice-acting powerhouse with more than 400 credits. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, the voices will—he’s been Winnie the Pooh and Tigger since the late ’80s, Disney’s Pete, Darkwing Duck, and roughly every other animated animal that quips, snarls, or sings.
He’s also a regular behind-the-scenes singer, famously stepping in for Jeremy Irons on The Lion King’s “Be Prepared” when Irons strained his voice. On his Toon’d In podcast, Cummings talks with fellow animation icons about the joys and absurdities of the job.
You can watch Part 1 of his interview with Tudyk below:
- YouTubeToon'd In! / YouTube
And yes, because he’s Jim Cummings, he does all the voices on his podcast. Enjoy!
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