It’s safe to say that no one has a presence quite likeJohn Lithgow, whose distinctive, old-Hollywood voice has brought scores of iconic villains — as well as a few heroes — to life over the years. Yet despite this impressive resume and his longtime experience with voice acting roles, Lithgow is no stranger to the disappointment and devastation of being recast — an experience he reflected on in the wake of his contributions to the new Skydance animated releaseSpellbound.
A two-time Oscar nominee withmemorable roles like Lord Farquaadin 2001’sShrekunder his belt, Lithgow has enjoyed his fair share of success in the animation industry. His most recent achievement, a comedic role in the fantasy adventure filmSpellbound, debuted on Netflix just yesterday, proving that Lithgow is still a commendable force after over four decades of acting. But when discussing his involvement withSpellbound, Lithgow disclosed some feelings of anxiety that his part in the film might not make the final cut.Speaking toScreenRantabout his experience, Lithgow recalled:“It had been so long since they had called me in at all that I thought they had probably replaced my character with somebody else’s voice. That’s happened to me a couple of times.”
Though he refrained from mentioning the specific roles in which he was recast, a few seconds of Internet sleuthing reveal that Lithgowwas likely referring to Hades in Disney’sHerculesand Poppa inThe Good Dinosaur. For both roles, Lithgow recorded full performances only to be replaced by another voice actor in the final cut due to significant changes in the story or production. As a seasoned professional, Lithgow acknowledged that this is a frequent phenomenon in the animation industry, since it’s much easier to re-record lines than to reshoot entire scenes, as required by live-action films. However, the sudden shock of being replaced still caused Lithgow a great deal of anxiety when pursuing other voice acting roles. You can read his full quote about the experience below:
“It happens all the time because voices are fungible. They can change them anytime they want. Famously, Shrek originally was not Mike Myers. Actually, it was Chris Farley who, God rest his soul, passed away [and] couldn’t complete the project. Mike Myers voiced his entire role, and then they decided that Shrek should have a faint Scottish accent, and so he voiced it all again. That’s what they do.
I could, but I won’t, tell you two major animated films in which I recorded the entire role and only then found out they decided it wasn’t quite right and replaced me with two other actors. I’ll give you a hint. The actors were James Woods and Jeffrey Wright. I fully accept they thought the change was necessary, so I sucked it up and walked off with my tail between my legs, and I’ve never confessed it to anybody in public.”
Despite Losing Major Roles, John Lithgow is Here to Stay
Despite feeling understandably snubbed at getting cut from such major roles, Lithgow seems to be well aware that it’s not necessarily a personal criticism of his skills. In fact, bothHerculesandThe Good Dinosaurexperienced drastic changes mid-production:Herculesdecided to take a more comedic route rather than Lithgow’s serious, insidious portrayal of the iconic villain, while numerous roles inThe Good Dinosaurwere recast as a result of storyboarders changing the age of the main character. These unfortunate experiences seem to afflict all voice actors regardless of their acclaim or accomplishments, and it’s a mark of Lithgow’s professionalism and dedication that he’s chosen to continue pursuing voice acting roles despite the anxiety that often accompanies them.
John Lithgow’s 10 Greatest Film Roles
An actor’s actor, Lithgow used his mid-Atlantic voice and towering height to carve out distinct movie roles as heroes and villains.
Thankfully, Lithgowseemed to have the opposite experience withSpellbound. Originally, Lithgow’s role in the film was meant to be much smaller, but as the story evolved, his contribution became more significant.“The experience got better and better as it went along,“Lithgow reported, adding that his role inSpellboundvirtually doubled by the end of the movie’s production, and he even performed his own song. For fans who are eager to see Lithgow given the screen time he deserves,Spellboundis currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Spellbound
Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters. Spellbound is directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek) with original score from EGOT-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and lyrics by Glenn Slater (Tangled). A Netflix Film from Skydance Animation, Spellbound boasts an all-star voice cast led by Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, Tituss Burgess, With Javier Bardem, And Nicole Kidman. Spellbound is written by Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin and Julia Miranda and produced by John Lasseter, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bruce Anderson for Skydance Animation.
