I, Robot Was A Big Will Smith Movie, But I’m Shocked By The Reason Alan Tudyk Didn’t Get More Attention For His Performance

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In reference to the 2004 film “I, Robot,” Will Smith is often recalled as the lead actor, given its prominence among his films during the 2000s and some considering it one of his best. However, for Alan Tudyk, known from Firefly, playing the friendly robot Sonny through motion capture was a significant role. Interestingly, despite his impressive performance as a robot, Tudyk received minimal recognition when “I, Robot” made headlines in the media.

During an interview on the “Toon’d In with Jim Cummings” podcast, Tudyk revealed that despite his extensive film and television career which spans across productions like “Frozen,” “Zootopia,” “Rogue One,” “Resident Alien,” “Creature Commandos,” and the upcoming “Superman” in 2025, there are still people who aren’t aware that he was in “I, Robot.” This is not surprising since his face isn’t visible in the movie. The actor himself admitted this fact.

In a surprising twist, many might be unaware that it was me, Alan Tudyk, who brought Sonny the Robot to life in the movie “I, Robot”. During the testing phase for the film, character scores were assessed through audience feedback. The results? I outperformed Will Smith’s character! However, due to a strategic decision, there was no publicity surrounding my role, and my name remained unmentioned.

In a surprising twist, Alan Tudyk delivered an exceptional performance as Sonny, the emotionally capable NS-5 robot created by Dr. Alfred Lanning, portrayed by James Cromwell. Sonny became a pivotal character in the enigma surrounding Lanning’s death, which detective Del Spooner, played by Will Smith, was tasked to solve. However, during promotional activities for the movie “I, Robot”, Tudyk was informed that his higher test scores than Smith during early screenings were enough to exclude him from the press tour and prevent his name from being mentioned.

There’s some uncertainty about who made the decision, whether it was 20th Century Fox or Will Smith himself, or someone on his team. Regardless, Alan Tudyk was certainly disheartened when he heard the news. He went on to say…

In that moment, I felt such a profound shock, as if I might have exclaimed, “Hold on, no one will recognize me!” I poured my heart and soul into that performance, but it required me to dance like a mechanical puppet. During that period, I was deeply disheartened.

Back in the early days of motion capture technology, performances such as Alan Tudyk’s portrayal of Sonny in I, Robot, along with characters like Jar Jar Binks from the Star Wars prequels and Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, were just beginning to make their mark. Having Alan Tudyk, even if he wasn’t present in the press tour, could have helped draw more attention to this unique kind of acting. It’s worth noting that Tudyk was an essential part of the cast alongside stars like Will Smith, James Cromwell, Bridget Moynahan, and Bruce Greenwood, among others.

It’s clear that Alan Tudyk has a steady stream of work these days, but given his exceptional dedication to creating Sonny in the film I, Robot, it’s worth highlighting his accomplishments. Even 20 years after its initial release, we want viewers, especially those streaming I, Robot on Hulu or discovering it through other means for the first time, to appreciate his contributions to the movie.

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2025-08-12 03:08