Keegan- Michael Key is B-127 in Transformers One: “I have learned from my character to always be hopeful”
Raquel Laguna/ SUCOPRESS. Keegan-Michael Key is the voice of B-127 in the animated movie Transformers One. In this interview, the actor talks about collaborating with director Josh Cooley again, after working with him on Toy Story 4. Keegan-Michael Key also talks about stepping into the role of B-127, especially in an origin story that explores a deeper side of the Transformers universe. Transformers One transports audiences back to where the saga started, the mysterious planet Cybertron, to reveal the beginning of icons Optimus Prime and Megatron in a spectacular animated origin story to the box-office-busting action-adventure series. Transformers One, the first-ever fully CG-animated Transformers movie, features a star-studded voice cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm.
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00:00What was it like stepping into the role of B-127 for you?
00:07Well, I initially was a little nervous about it
00:11and I figured, you know, these are big shoes to fill.
00:14We've never heard his voice ever in the movies
00:18and this is a movie and we're finally hearing it
00:21and it's gonna be me.
00:23And then I didn't know what I was gonna do
00:25or how I was gonna make it special.
00:27And the director said, I just want it to be you.
00:30I just want it to sound like Keegan.
00:32And then I was like, whew, you know.
00:34So that made it a little bit easier
00:36but then still I wanted to bring life to him
00:39and humor to him and real feelings to him
00:42and all that good stuff.
00:44This story explores a deeper side
00:48of the Transformers universe.
00:51What can fans expect from this film?
00:54Well, I think fans can expect a really deep exploration
01:02of friendship, of friendship and love
01:06and what happens when people,
01:09when something gets in someone's way
01:10and they can't let it go.
01:12And so there's very important deep themes
01:16and that I think people can take away from it.
01:19It's also going to be funny and action-packed and badass
01:23and it's gonna be all these great things
01:25but at the heart of it,
01:26it's about friendship and loss of love.
01:32You work with Josh on Toy Story 4.
01:36How was the experience of collaborating
01:39with him on this project?
01:41You know, it was a very different experience.
01:45Collaborating with him was just as fun as it was last time.
01:49But when we made Toy Story 4,
01:51the interesting thing was I was often with Jordan.
01:54So we would be together.
01:56We'd be in the booth together looking at each other
01:58and directly talking to each other
02:00and playing off of each other.
02:02And I didn't get that opportunity in this movie.
02:05And I didn't get to meet Brian or Chris
02:08until we started doing press at Comic-Con.
02:11So it was different.
02:12So it was really, I relied even more on Josh
02:16because it was just me and Josh together in a room
02:18and he'd say all the lines for me.
02:20And so he was my acting partner.
02:24You, I believe you watch the Transformers TV show
02:28Growing Up, right?
02:30I did.
02:31So what does it mean for you personally
02:35to be part of this franchise now?
02:39This is like a dream come true for me
02:42that I didn't even know I had.
02:45I didn't know before Josh offered me this role,
02:48I had no idea that I'd ever be in a Transformers movie.
02:51I just didn't know that it was something that would happen.
02:54And I remember watching the show
02:56and watching the original animated movie and all of that.
03:01It was really kind of like, this is gonna be,
03:03this is, it's been amazing.
03:05It's been absolutely amazing.
03:07I think I've learned from my character to always be,
03:11to always be hopeful because I think that he didn't think,
03:14you know, he, I learned from him to make the best
03:17out of any situation you find yourself in.
03:20What's the best thing you can do at this moment?
03:22What's the best way to make the moment good?