I, Robot star Alan Tudyk admits he was “so shocked” after being pulled from materials related to the 2004 film.
Alan Tudyk claims he was removed from I, Robot promotional materials after “testing higher than Will Smith” with fans.
The 54-year-old actor – who played robot Sonny in the 2004 blockbuster, which starred Will as Detective Del Spooner – has admitted he was “so shocked” by the decision, which came after trial audiences were shown the movie.
He told the Toon’d In with Jim Cummings podcast: “A lot of people didn’t know I did Sonny the robot in I, Robot, and there’s a reason for that, actually.
“They were doing test audiences with the movie and they score the characters and I got word back, ‘Alan, you’re testing higher than Will Smith’.
“And then I was gone. I was gone. There was no publicity and my name was not mentioned.”
Will is yet to comment on the claims.
As well as voicing the robot, Tudyk – who has also appeared in the likes of Firefly, Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil and numerous Disney animations – shot the motion capture for the CGI character, noting he “put a lot into” the performance.
He added on the podcast – which was released in June but has only just started to make waves online: “I was so shocked, I was like, ‘Wait, what? How do they — nobody’s going to know that I —’ and [Fox] was like, ‘Mhm’.
“It was sad. I put a lot into it, because he had to move like a robot, so I had to move [like a robot]…. At the time, I was very upset.”
Tudyk has voiced characters in everything from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Creature Commandos to Aladdin, Moana and Superman, and he insisted the artform deserves more respect.
He said: “I was in the room. I’m at the wheel, I was with the actor back and forth.
“My voice is completely attached to the world that everyone is seeing.”
Alan Tudyk reveals why Will Smith drama got him pulled from I, Robot promotional materials
