Rise Of The Beasts Honors Peter Cullen In The Best Way

Through his decades of voicing Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen has inspired generations of kids that grew up on "Transformers." The actor looked for a similar source of inspiration when he initially auditioned for the role in the '80s, finding that in his Marine brother.

Over the years, Cullen has told the story about finding the voice of Optimus Prime many times. During an appearance at TFcon, he reminisced on his brother, a decorated Marine Corps captain during the Vietnam War. The brothers lived together during a difficult time in Cullen's life, and his brother, Larry, took an interest in his daily activities. 

On the day of his audition, Cullen told his brother, "I'm going to an audition. I'm auditioning as a truck," which got a laugh out of his brother. "I said, 'But Larry, he's a hero truck. He's a real — I mean — he's a hero.' His face got somber, and he said, 'Peter if you're going to be a hero, be a real hero. Don't be a Hollywood hero type with all the BS and all the yelling and screaming and trying to be tough. Be strong enough to be gentle.'"

During his audition for "Transformers," Cullen said he could only hear Larry's voice, channeling his brother's softness and echoing the advice he gave him earlier in the day. To this day, Cullen still holds onto his brother's words about heroism, "Be strong enough to be gentle," as the inspiration for Optimus Prime.