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Every once in a while, I come across someone who thought Peter Mayhew did the wookiee sounds for Chewbacca, or something like that, when in actuality those sounds were create by sound designer Ben Burt in post-production. As a kid, I even thought the actors in the Jawa cloaks were the ones making those Jawa sounds! All this got me thinking, has there ever been a case of the person in the suit also supplying the sounds for the creature/character they portray?

IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm asking about creatures/characters who don't have a lot of (english) lines, like Chewie. We're talking grunting, roaring, hissing, or strange, exotic languages like wookiee roars, so Jar Jar, Dobby, C-3PO, Yoda, and Unkar Plutt don't count since they speak "english" a lot. I'd say if they have more than 10 to 15 lines of normal (english) dialogue, then they probably are not what I'm looking for. Also notice that by "inside the suit" I'm including CGI motion capture characters.

  • Example answer 1: The puppeteer who worked Jabba's mouth also spoke the huttese lines on set (and maybe later re-recorded the lines in post-production) [Disclaimer: I made that up!]

  • Example answer 2: The guy in the motion capture suit who provided the movements for Sebulba spoke the huttese lines (and maybe later re-recorded the lines in post-production) [Disclaimer: I made that up too!]

  • Example answer 3: The guy in the motion capture suit who provided the movements for King Kong also recorded Kong's many grunts and breathing etc. in post-production. [Disclaimer: I made that up, I have no idea if that's true!]

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RedCaio
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD9rlb1QAqM – Wad Cheber Jul 06 '16 at 02:58
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    I wouldn't put it past the Spaceballs "Dink Dink" song to be the same actors who are seen in the little brown robes. But I'm just guessing. – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Jul 06 '16 at 03:32
  • @Mazura I'd say if they have more than 10 to 15 lines of normal (english) dialogue, then they probably aren't what I'm looking for. (I heard that Caesar the ape only has 1 line of english, so he would count. I may even count Groot since he only says the same three words and then mosly grumbles and huffs. The Na'vi from Avatar are borderline, as some spoke a lot of english, but then others never spoke english.) – RedCaio Jul 06 '16 at 05:29
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    This seems pretty broad. Presumably there are hundreds of films where the person in the suit also provided the sounds, especially in older/cheaper B-Movies. – Valorum Jul 06 '16 at 08:29
  • I think this happens a lot nowadays - I believe Benedict Cumberbatch provided the mocap for his portrayal of Smaug, and also 90% of the cast of Avatar seems to fall under this. – jackwise Jul 06 '16 at 13:31
  • With Foley being what it is, I doubt even actors playing humans do any of their own non-dialog sounds. Burps, coughs, sneezes - what have you - are all typically dubbed in later for all but the most low-budget productions. Roars, honks, gurgles, etc. of non-human characters are likely no exception. – R.M. Jul 06 '16 at 14:52
  • Incidentally, your assumption about King Kong is true, I believe: Andy Serkis played him as well, and they had a giant speaker hooked up to his mic that shifted his pitch a few octaves down, so while they were filming he was there grunting and gorilla-screaming at the appropriate times. I don't recall if any of that was used in post, however (I doubt it). – Ketura Jul 06 '16 at 16:25
  • Does Darth Vader's breathing count, or did he have too many English lines as well? – Mr Lister Jul 06 '16 at 17:21
  • Are you suggesting that Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker did not make the sounds of their characters? If so, you should probably mention who/what does make the sounds, since you are implying that Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker didn't make the sounds for their characters. – TylerH Jul 06 '16 at 18:28
  • What about Vin Diesel as Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy? Frankly I think the question would be more interesting if you excluded CGI. – Junuxx Jul 06 '16 at 18:55
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    @TylerH done. see links in the new edit. – RedCaio Jul 06 '16 at 19:04

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Andy Serkis was the CGI actor for Gollum, and provided the voice as well.

His work on The Lord of the Rings started a debate on the legitimacy of CGI-assisted acting. Some critics felt Serkis should have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, since his voice, body language, and facial expressions were used. There is the argument that his CGI actions were partially, or in some cases fully, animated without his movements, but the same is true for actors in a traditional film with CGI. Serkis does appear briefly as Sméagol before he transforms into Gollum, and the CGI Gollum's facial characteristics are fundamentally based on Serkis' own.

He also did the motion capture and some of the vocalizations of Caesar in the rebooted Planet of the Apes series.

And all the Navi in Avatar were voiced by the actors themselves; most have few if any English lines.

Wad Cheber
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    "I'm asking about creatures/characters who don't have a lot of (english) lines, like Chewie. We're talking grunting, roaring, hissing, or strange, exotic languages like wookiee roars (so Jar Jar, Groot, and Unkar Plutt don't count)." I'll try to clarify – RedCaio Jul 06 '16 at 03:02
  • @RedCaio - He's named after the sound he makes more often than he speaks - GOLLUM! – Wad Cheber Jul 06 '16 at 03:03
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    Caesar counts. Gollum has loads of lines so it's not really what I'm going for. +1 for including the Caesar part though. :) – RedCaio Jul 06 '16 at 03:14
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    I always had a hard time understanding what Gollum was saying with such a stylized accent. It's almost not English. Maybe you should give him a half a point. – iMerchant Jul 06 '16 at 03:27
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James Spader did both the motion capture and the voice for Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

See this small clip.

mskfisher
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