THR BB-8 9876_01_0410 - H 2015
Joe PuglieseAmongst the many secrets that Star Wars: The Force Awakens managed to keep all the way until its world premiere and press screenings is the identity of new droid BB-8. No, not his purpose in the plot — that, thankfully, is still under wraps — but the men responsible for giving the droid a voice.
As revealed via Twitter on Tuesday, Ben Schwartz is credited as “BB-8 Vocal Consultant,” and HitFix‘s Drew McWeeny shared Wednesday that Schwartz wasn’t alone: Bill Hader also claims that credit in the movie.
McWeeny asked the actor and comedian what being a vocal consultant actually meant, and Hader responded by saying that director J.J. Abrams was “f—ing around with this sound effects app on his iPad that was attached to a talk box operated by me. It looked ridiculous but it made BB-8’s voice.”
He continued, “At first I tried doing a voice, but we all agreed it sounded too human.”
Wait: A sound effects app for iOS that makes anyone into BB-8? How quickly can that be brought to the market? In time for the Christmas rush? Also, now that this news has broken, expect YouTube mash-ups of Stefon and BB-8 any … minute … now.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally released to the world Dec. 18.
