9 Actors Who Helped Movies In Ways You Won't Believe
6. Bill Hader & Ben Schwartz Were "Vocal Consultants" For BB-8 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
While you'd be understood for assuming that the modulated "voice" of football-shaped droid BB-8 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was produced entirely by a computer, that actually isn't true.
During production, director J.J. Abrams enlisted the efforts of actor-comedians Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz to lend warmth and personality to BB-8 and make his vocalisations seem, well, human.
The pair were officially employed as "vocal consultants" on the movie, coming in for voiceover recording sessions where they spoke dialogue scripted for BB-8 which would then be transformed into synthesised droid beeps and boops by the film's sound editing team.
Though their natural voices are of course completely unrecognisable in the final film, their vocalisations serve as the foundation for the character's expressive sounds throughout the sequel trilogy.
BB-8 speaks in "Sounds of the Resistance," from Star Wars #TheForceAwakens Collector's Edition. https://t.co/vOOTyXzurL pic.twitter.com/z1NUjT7nic
— Star Wars (@starwars) November 15, 2016