James Gunn has revealed that an ex-Marvel Studios executive questioned the use of Bradley Cooper in the original Guardians of the Galaxy. The original film was a bit of a surprise hit for Marvel - while the Guardians existed in one form or another in the comics since 1969, they were relatively unknown to general audiences. Gunn, who wrote and directed the film, managed to pull off an incredible feat - the strength of the first film alone was enough to launch the titular superhero team into A-list stardom along with mainstays like Spider-Man and Captain America. A large part of the appeal came from the film's immensely talented and likable cast - led by Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Cooper.
Cooper portrayed Rocket Raccoon, who is, as the name suggests, a talking raccoon. While concrete details about Rocket's past before he joined the Guardians aren't well known, fans do know that he was subject to some kind of experimentation that traumatized him and is partially responsible for Rocket's overall cynical nature. While Cooper doesn't provide the on-set motion capture for Rocket (that honor goes to Gunn's brother Sean), he does provide the character's voice. Most audiences were taken aback the first time they heard Cooper's performance - as Rocket's voice was pretty far from Cooper's natural tone and almost unrecognizable.
Gunn recently revealed that one Marvel executive wasn't happy because Cooper's voice wasn't immediately recognizable. Gunn stated that the executive, who no longer works at Marvel Studios or Disney, questioned why they even bothered to cast Cooper since Rocket's voice didn't sound exactly like the actor's. Gunn said he argued that the recognition didn't matter - and they hired him simply because he is a good actor.
Gunn and Cooper's decision not to use the actor's natural voice when playing Rocket is a bit of an outlier when compared to recent popular Hollywood trends. Generally, when actors who are known for their live-action roles step into the world of voice-acting, they usually just use their natural voice (especially in mainstream Hollywood films). Something like the recent live-action remake of The Lion King is a perfect example of this trend - the star-studded cast included heavyweights like Donald Glover, Beyonce, and Seth Rogen, who (mostly) stuck pretty close to how their natural voices sound.
The executive's concerns aren't exactly out of the ordinary - star recognition can play a huge role in how successful a film is. Some saw Guardians of the Galaxy as somewhat of a gamble (Amanda Seyfried even passed on the film because she thought it would bomb), so it makes sense that there would be some trepidation about having a huge star like Cooper be unrecognizable. However, especially since fans have all witnessed the amazing performance he's given across the MCU, the complaint seems a bit silly. Transformative performances - when the audience actually forgets they're watching a famous actor on screen - can oftentimes provide some of the most engrossing cinematic experiences. Cooper's performance was one of the standout parts of the film, and hopefully, we get to see more of him in future Guardians of the Galaxy projects.
Source: James Gunn
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