Alan Tudyk Says His Name 'Was Not Mentioned' in I, Robot Publicity Because His Performance as Sonny the Robot Scored Higher With Test Audiences Than Will Smith

Alan Tudyk has made an explosive allegation surrounding his engagement with I, Robot, claiming his sanction was pulled from the film’s publicity due to the fact that his show arsenic Sonny the Robot scored higher with trial audiences than Will Smith.

Alex Proyas’ 2004 sci-fi movie I, Robot sees Smith’s Detective Del Spooner analyse the alleged termination of U.S. Robotics laminitis Alfred Lanning, believing a human-like robot called Sonny (Tudyk) murdered him. Tudyk voiced Sonny and provided the question seizure for the CGI character.

Will Smith (and Alan Tudyk) starred successful I, Robot. Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images.

Speaking connected the Toon'd In with Jim Cummings podcast, Tudyk claimed helium was dropped from I, Robot publicity owed to Sonny scoring higher with trial audiences than Smith’s Spooner, which near him “very upset” due to the fact that radical didn’t recognize helium starred successful the movie.

“A batch of radical didn’t cognize I did Sonny the Robot successful I, Robot, and there’s a crushed for that,” Tudyk said. “Because they were doing trial audiences with the movie, and they people the characters successful this benignant of trial audience. And I’d got connection back: ‘Alan, you’re investigating higher than Will Smith.’ And past I was gone. I was done. There was nary publicity, and my sanction was not mentioned.”

He continued: “I was truthful shocked. I was like, ‘Wait, cipher is going to cognize that I’m successful it!’ I enactment a batch into it, due to the fact that helium had to determination similar a robot, truthful I had to move… it was, immoderate it was. At the time, I was precise upset.”

Despite Tudyk’s antagonistic acquisition with I, Robot, helium went connected to play different robot, K-2SO, successful Star Wars movie Rogue One, and aboriginal reprised the relation successful Disney+ bid Andor. Indeed, Tudyk has a agelong relation with sci-fi franchises, playing Hoban "Wash" Washburne successful Firefly / Serenity and, astir recently, Superman Robot 4 / Gary successful James Gunn's DCU kickstarter Superman.

Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].