Size, age, other characters and relationships, as well as how the writers, director and producer may have heard it in their own heads. TFW2005: How do you decide on the “personality” of a character that you’re voicing? Neil Kaplan: There are lots of variables. Do you have any specific fond memories of your work on these series? Neil Kaplan: Yes, too many to list here…and I was thrilled to come back for a couple of episodes of the new Digimon Tamers! TFW2005: You’ve done a lot of work for some very popular franchises such as Transformers, Power Rangers and Digimon. TFW2005: Have you auditioned for any of the post-RID Transformers shows and if yes, which characters? Neil Kaplan: Yes, I auditioned for both Prime and Megatron on the new “Animated”, which looks like a fun interpretation of the Transformer universe! ![]() The movie is pretty much exactly what I thought it was going to be…and yes, I would love to be involved in one of the sequels at some point! TFW2005: Did you see the live-action Transformers movie? What was your overall thought regarding it? Neil Kaplan: Dude, I thought it was GREAT! Three Oscar nominations, eh? I mean, heck… I have never seen a car race down the freeway at seventy miles per hour and change into a hyper violent and angry giant robot… but I’m pretty sure if I ever do… it will look just like THAT! As an actor, you find justifications for your actions and make it work. Personally, I would not write that way… but that’s not my style as a story teller. TFW2005: And what did you think about having to yell out those attack names? Neil Kaplan: I had done anime before, so I was used to that kind of thing. Were you required to re-record those lines each time or did they simply take one sample and re-use it throughout the series? Neil Kaplan: On that show, we recorded each one each time. TFW2005: In ROBOTS IN DISGUISE, the characters constantly called out their attack names over and over through the course of the series. I appreciated and enjoyed BOTH versions and never had an issue adjusting to either style. Kramer made him more energetic and take-charge. Slower, more contemplative, a “40 foot metallic John Wayne.” Mike’s interpretation was to make Prime very close to Peter’s portrayal. ![]() So, Mike was there in the room to read with, act with, and listen to Peter Cullen. That was original animation, so they recorded together as a cast. TFW2005: What was it like playing Prime for two different directors? Neil Kaplan: You can certainly hear the difference between episodes directed by Steve Kramer and Mike McConnohie. He was the only other character that came to mind as a “one note hero.” No internal conflicts, just a “pedal to the metal” straight ahead hero. TFW2005: Are there any other characters or individuals that you used as inspiration? Neil Kaplan: Superman. I did not listen to his work as Primal for background as that was a different character. When I voiced Optimus Prime in 2001, Gary had not yet voiced the character. His voice rang in my ears almost 20 years later! I didn’t look back on his work… but it had stuck with me all that time and inspired my work. TFW2005: When you voiced Optimus Prime, did you look to Gary Chalk or Peter Cullen for inspiration? Neil Kaplan: For me, it was ALL about Peter Cullen. ![]() TFW2005: Were there any specific roles you were not cast in that you wish you could have gotten the chance to play? Neil Kaplan: Well, villains are ALWAYS fun, but I was pretty darned happy to be playing Optimus Prime, and when they added the role of “spoiled military brat” Ro-Tor, that was just a little bit of frosting on an amazing piece of cake. It was my audition for X-Brawn that lead to me getting Optimus Prime. TFW2005: When you originally auditioned for Transformers, did you try out for specific characters or were certain ones assigned to you? If the former, which characters did you audition for but not get? Neil Kaplan: Originally, I auditioned for Slapper, Gas Skunk and X-Brawn. Kaplan, check out what they had to say below. TFW2005 content contributor aksmth recently had a chance to interview Mr. Neil Kaplan is best known to Transformers fans as the voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers: Robots in Disguise where he also lended his voice to the character of Ro-Tor.
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