Alan Tudyk Was Removed From I, Robot's Marketing Campaign For A Wild Reason

These days, Alan Tudyk is known as one of the most versatile and prolific voice-over and performance-capture actors of his generation. From voicing characters in pretty much every modern-day animated Disney film to playing K-2SO in "Rogue One: A Star Wars" and "Andor," he's crafted quite the impressive resume. He even voiced Iago in Disney's live-action "Aladdin" remake, with his other recent roles including turns in Netflix's "The Electric State," DC's "Creature Commandos" (as the fan-favorite character Doctor Phosphorous), and dozens of other TV series and streaming titles.

Back in the early 2000s, however, Tudyk was better known for his live-action roles, typically of a comedic nature. If you're of a certain generation, you likely know him best as wisecracking pilot Hoban Washburne on "Firefly" or as Steve the Pirate in "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." But while he was building a reputation for comedy in Hollywood, he also took on a different role in the 2004 Will Smith-led sci-fi movie "I, Robot," doing the same kind of robotic performance capture he'd later tackle in the "Star Wars" universe. Of course, you may not have known that it was Tudyk behind Sonny the robot at all, and there's apparently a very specific reason for that.

"They were doing test audiences with the movie, and they score the characters," Tudyk explained in an episode of the "Toon'd in with Jim Cummings" podcast. "I got word back, 'Alan, you're testing higher than Will Smith.'" With one of Hollywood's biggest stars on the marquee of the project, the answer from the studio side was simple: cut Tudyk from any major marketing materials, effectively burying his role.

You'd be hard-pressed in 2004 to identify a bigger movie star than Will Smith. Brad Pitt maybe, or Angelina Jolie, but even they couldn't entirely surpass the star power that Smith carried out of the 1990s and into the early 2000s. That was all well and good for the box office takes on his films, but it was apparently not so good for his costars, especially lesser-known ones (at the time) like Tudyk.

"I was gone," Tudyk told Cummings, regarding his role in marketing materials for "I, Robot" following his favorable test screenings. "I was done. There was no publicity, and my name was not mentioned." It's no secret that big stars often get this sort of preferential treatment, both to soothe egos and make good on contractual promises. But that doesn't make the situation any better. "I was shocked," Tudyk admitted. "I was like, 'Nobody's going to know," and they were like, 'Mhm.'" Look at any of the old theatrical posters for "I, Robot," and you'll only see Smith's name featured (even on the posters featuring the very robots Tudyk lent his talents to).

"I put a lot into it," Tudyk said of his performance. "At the time, I was very upset."

It's hard not to get upset on Tudyk's behalf, knowing that so many other smaller-time actors have faced similar situations in Hollywood out of deference for the all-powerful star. However, it's also hard to argue with the career he's built over the last two decades, especially when you consider that his beloved performance as K-2SO may have been indirectly influenced by his prior experience in robot performance capture playing Sonny. Tudyk has gotten a lot of credit and love from fans for that latter role, which hopefully softens the original blow, at least a bit.

Tudyk has also become a bona fide TV star over the last several years, starring in the acclaimed (and only recently canceled) sci-fi comedy series "Resident Alien." That role blended Tudyk's experience in both science fiction and comedy, becoming one of the most successful of his career.

"I, Robot," on the other hand, has largely faded from the cultural consciousness, and Smith's star power apparently wasn't enough to earn it a favorable reception among critics at the time either. Supposedly an Isaac Asimov adaptation, it's more of a post-'90s sci-fi lux than anything else. You'd be better served with a more modern Asimov adaptation like "Foundation" on Apple TV+, though Tudyk's turn as Sonny is still strong all these years later.