Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Was A Career First For Peter Dinklage
In Steven Caple, Jr.'s new film "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," the universe is under threat from a rogue, planet-consuming robot deity called Unicron (Colman Domingo). Unicron drifts through the cosmos eating entire worlds and longing for the eventual death of all things. Unicron also has a small army of robot warriors whom he sends ahead of him to take care of any pesky armies that might stand in his way. The leader of Unicron's robot army — called Terracons — is a vicious and near-indestructible demon-like droid named Scourge. Scourge is powered by a special kind of energy force that never runs out that also seems to make him especially resilient to damage. He is also a sadistic hunter and likes to pry badges off of his doomed enemies and weld them to his own chassis. Scourge is one bad dude. He is played by Peter Dinklage.
Dinklage is no stranger to voice acting, having voiced roles in "Ice Age: Continental Drift," "The Angry Birds Movie," and "The Croods: A New Age," but this is the first time he's been asked to give a voice performance in a film that is not rated PG. Scourge is also a much scarier, more violent character than Dinklage has voiced before, displaying cruelty and villainy in a way we haven't seen from the actor before, not even on his notoriously violent TV series "Game of Thrones."
In a recent interview with Screenrant, Dinklage talked about playing the part and how he got into character. It seems that, even when playing a violent robot villain from outer space, there are still a lot of subtle character notes and beats to consider.
A booth in Manhattan
Peter Dinklage was careful to credit his director for, well, directing him. Steven Caple Jr. was careful to describe the plot of "Rise of the Beasts" and explain Scourge's role in the tale. It was then up to Dinklage to work his way into the headspace of the character, knowing full well that all of the film's live-action footage had already been shot. He also talks about the difference between his earlier voice-acting gigs and this one, saying:
"I've done a few [animated films] now. Mainly more kids' films, because that's popular with the animation; all that stuff. But this is definitely my first time doing something like this. And Steven, our incredible director, just guided me through the whole way. Because sometimes when you're not on the set — when you're sort of after-the-fact, because they've already filmed the entire movie — you feel a bit removed from the experience. And you're in a booth in Manhattan, not on location with things going off around you."
Additionally, it's likely that the film's special effects weren't completed when Dinklage was recording his dialogue, so he couldn't see the robots fighting one another, the invading spaceships, the laser guns, or the ineffable Lovecraftian space deities. For Dinklage, "Rise of the Beasts" was 100% academic. But because Dinklage is such a talented actor — he has received multiple acting awards, including several Emmys and a Golden Globe — he was able to get into Scourge's headspace regardless.
Low, creepy, and growly
Peter Dinklage saw Scourge, essentially, as a working stiff. He was enthused about the violent part of his job, but fearful of his robot boss. That was the initial hook for the actor who modulated his voice performance to match. Dinklage said:
"What Steven did was just get me fully informed what's happening in the film with the characters to get you immersed in there as much as possible, and then just have fun with the voice. It's the villain of the piece. You got to sound threatening, scary. And then when he is with Unicron, his boss, there's a bit of servitude there that you have to just sort of balance in the hierarchy of things. If you want low and creepy and growly, I'm your guy."
Indeed, Dinklage has a wonderful basso voice that has served him well as a screen and stage presence. He also noted that playing villains is the most fun one can have as an actor "because they don't care ... You love them because you're safe from their actual ... the reality of what they're doing." One can almost hear how much fun Dinklage is having as Scourge, although his voice was given a mild robot distortion, so a lot of his villainy might be artificial.
It also helped that "Rise of the Beasts" is set in 1994, and a large portion of it takes place in New York City. By coincidence, Dinklage lived in New York in 1994, so he had a good headspace for the film. He said:
"I lived in Williamsburg throughout the '90s up until about 2002, which seemed like the set of a Transformers movie, the desolate streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the '90s. I knew the world very well; that time period and the music.