Alan Tudyk has spoken out about his experience playing Sonny, a robot character in the 2004 film I, Robot. In an interview on the “Toon’d In with Jim Cummings” podcast, Tudyk revealed that he was initially omitted from the massive press tour following a test screening where audiences gave his performance a higher score than Will Smith’s character, Del.
Tudyk explained that after the test screening, he received word that he was being removed from the publicity campaign due to his high scores. “I got word back: ‘Alan, you are testing higher than Will Smith,'” Tudyk said. “And then I was gone.”
The actor expressed his shock and disappointment at the time, stating that he had invested a lot into his performance as Sonny. Despite being the second lead in the film and working with a relatively new technology, Tudyk felt that he didn’t receive the credit he deserved.
It’s worth noting that Will Smith has not commented on Tudyk’s revelations, but it’s likely due to a desire to avoid sharing the spotlight. The experience highlights the challenges of working in a performance-capture medium and the tendency for huge stars to prioritize their own publicity over collaborating with co-stars.
Watch the full clip starting at 17:22 on the podcast to hear Tudyk share his story further.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/alan-tudyk-i-robot-will-smith-2000641646