Late Queen weighed in against Hollywood’s plans to replace Wallace and Gromit voice star, creator reveals

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Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park has revealed how the late Queen Elizabeth II backed his decision to keep Peter Sallis as the voice of Wallace when Hollywood executives suggested replacing the actor.

Speaking to The Telegraph , Park recalled how US studio DreamWorks questioned whether Sallis, who was in his 80s at the time, would appeal to younger audiences ahead of the animated duo’s big-screen debut in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005).

“To be honest, they probably would have replaced Peter Sallis actually, because they thought ‘Oh, he’s 80-something, how’s this going to appeal to kids?’” Park said.

The animator, who offered Sallis his last £50 to voice Wallace in the first short film in 1989, explained how he discussed the situation with the late monarch after being seated next to her at a lunch celebrating her 80th birthday.

“She was a fan,” Park told the newspaper. “It was like chatting with my mum.”

Recalling how he raised DreamWorks’ suggestion that they reconsider Sallis for the role, Park said the Queen was firmly on his side.

“I remember her saying, ‘You ought to hang on to him!’” he recalled.

Since their debut in A Grand Day Out in 1989, Wallace and Gromit have starred in three further short films and two feature-length films – earning three Academy Awards – as well as two television series.

Sallis continued voicing the cheese-loving inventor until 2010, when he retired due to ill health. Actor Ben Whitehead subsequently took over the role.

Park also revealed that Hollywood executives had previously suggested changing another iconic element of the franchise: Wallace’s car.

The pair’s trusty Austin A35 was apparently not cool enough for one executive, who proposed swapping it for a more American-style vehicle.

“I remember there was one comment from one exec saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if Wallace & Gromit’s car was more like a cool American pickup truck?’” Park said.

His response was unequivocal: “Nah! It’s an Austin A35. It’s cool because it’s not cool.”

Park’s comments come as Gromit prepares for a major first after almost four decades of silently reacting to his owner’s increasingly outlandish inventions.

The beloved dog is finally getting a voice through a new memoir, Grand: The Autobiography of Gromit: As Told to Nick Park . Actor Martin Freeman, best known for The Hobbit and the British original of The Office , will narrate the audiobook.

Speaking to The Telegraph , Park said Freeman had emerged as the clear favorite for the role.

“The more I thought about it, the more I realised Martin Freeman was the obvious choice, really,” he said. “I was genuinely thrilled and honored when he said yes.”

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《华莱士与格罗米特》的创作者尼克·帕克透露，已故的伊丽莎白二世女王支持他保留彼得·萨利斯为华莱士配音的决定，当时好莱坞高管建议更换这位演员。

在接受《每日电讯报》采访时，帕克回忆起，在动画二人组首次登上大银幕出演《人兔的诅咒》（2005 年）之前，美国梦工厂工作室曾质疑当时已 80 多岁的萨利斯是否能吸引年轻观众。

“说实话，他们可能真的会换掉彼得·萨利斯，因为他们会想‘哦，他都八十多岁了，这怎么能吸引年轻人呢？’”帕克说道。

这位动画师曾拿出自己最后的 50 英镑，请萨利斯在 1989 年的第一部短片中为华莱士配音。他解释说，在庆祝女王 80 岁生日的午餐会上，他坐在女王旁边，并与她讨论了这种情况。

“她是我的粉丝，”朴槿惠告诉报社，“感觉就像在和我妈妈聊天一样。”

朴正熙回忆起他曾提出梦工厂建议重新考虑让萨利斯出演该角色，并表示女王坚定地站在他这边。

“我记得她说过，‘你应该留住他！’”他回忆道。

自 1989 年在《超级无敌掌门狗》中首次亮相以来，华莱士和格罗米特又主演了三部短片和两部故事长片——获得了三项奥斯卡奖——以及两部电视剧。

萨利斯一直为这位热爱奶酪的发明家配音，直到2010年因健康原因退休。之后，演员本·怀特黑德接替了他的角色。

帕克还透露，好莱坞高管此前曾建议改变该系列电影的另一个标志性元素：华莱士的汽车。

这对夫妇可靠的奥斯汀 A35 显然不够酷，一位高管提议将其换成一辆更具美国风格的汽车。

帕克说：“我记得一位高管曾说过，‘如果华莱士和格罗米特的汽车更像一辆酷炫的美国皮卡，那该多好啊！’”

他的回答斩钉截铁：“不！这是一辆奥斯汀A35。它很酷，因为它一点也不酷。”

帕克发表这番言论之际，格罗米特即将迎来一个重大突破，此前近四十年来，格罗米特一直默默地对主人越来越古怪的发明做出反应。

这只备受喜爱的狗狗终于要通过一本新的回忆录《格兰德：格罗米特自传：尼克·帕克讲述》发声了。因《霍比特人》和英版《办公室》而闻名的演员马丁·弗瑞曼将为这本有声书配音。

帕克在接受《每日电讯报》采访时表示，弗里曼已成为该角色的明显热门人选。

“我越想越觉得，马丁·弗瑞曼才是最合适的人选，”他说。“当他答应出演时，我真的既激动又荣幸。”