'The Boy and the Heron' Star Says Hayao Miyazaki Apologized for Giving Him 'Such a Strange Role'
Voice actor Masaki Suda plays the strange bird in “The Boy and the Heron,” the latest Hayao Miyazaki’s animation movie, and detailed how the cartoon legend joked about being sorry about the character’s oddities.
"I know it's a lie. But I have to see."
Here is your first look at the new English version of Hayao Miyazaki's THE BOY AND THE HERON. Watch it in theatres starting December 8. pic.twitter.com/O2DgA0uNRa
— Studio Ghibli (@GhibliUSA) November 2, 2023
According to Entertainment Weekly, Suda discussed this with Kenshi Yonezu, the musician who sings the movie’s theme song.
Suda, who performed in the Japanese version, noted, “He told me, ‘Sorry for giving you such a strange role.’”
Thankfully, Suda said, “It wasn’t a problem at all, though.”
He did note that finding the right voice took some time. He stated, “I didn’t really know how to approach it. I tried different voices and having exchanges with the other woman from production.”
“Hayao Miyazaki himself hadn’t spoken until then. But there was a sense of tension, since he was listening,” he went on.
“And then, while I was trying different voices, I heard him say, ‘That’s it!’” he added.
Yonezu asked, “Like the voice of God coming from above?”
“Yeah, exactly! After that moment, everything was quick,” Sudan recalled.
“The Boy and the Heron,” is slated for early release in select theatres throughout New York and Los Angeles the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 22. It will then be released wide to theatres on Friday, Dec. 8.
Yonezu also described the excitement of working with Miyazaki during the discussion with Suda. He said, “Honestly, I thought I was going to die.”
“I got to the point where I didn’t know what was right anymore. I always worked at home alone in my studio, making songs by myself. Like a weaving crane, I’ve always worked by myself. This time, I was so lost,” he confessed.
He then detailed how the music finally came together and affected Miyazaki. He said, “Seeing [Miyazaki] sitting right there in front of me, listening to it… He even cried.”
Robert Pattinson plays the role in the English-speaking version.
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