Hayao Miyazaki is considered to be the greatest storyteller of this generation, as each one of his films has been universally acclaimed Miyazaki is probably the most consistent filmmaker who does not have bad film. He has been producing films with Studio Ghibli since the 80s, and his career is full of iconic films like Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, and many more. His recent work, The Boy and The Heron is another masterpiece that has a score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Working with Hayao Miyazaki is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which Masaki Suda took without thinking twice. However, The Director of Studio Ghibli apologized to the voice actor for giving him the role of Heron, which according to the director was a strange role.
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Hayao Miyazaki Apologised To The Voice Actor For Giving Him A Bizzare Role
People who have watched Hayao Miyazaki’s films know how his film’s characters are filled with rich imagination and they are deeply rooted with complexities, showcasing unconventional traits that diversify what viewers do not see regularly in other films. Such distinctive characters only make his films stand out.
However, The Boy and The Heron’s director felt that his film featured a strange role where an old man disguises himself as a Heron so that he can counsel a young boy grieving the death of his mother in WWII. During an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Masaki Suda, the voice actor behind the voice of the Heron in the project shared that Miyazaki had apologized to him for playing such a strange role.
“He told me, ‘Sorry for giving you such a strange role,’” Suda said of Miyazaki. “It wasn’t a problem at all, though.”
Masaki Suda went on to play the unconventional with extreme dedication, focusing on incorporating different versions of a human and heron noises that fit the Hayao Miyazaki vision. The film stood out as it is full of heavyweight names in both versions of the films, making it a must-watch for the dub and sub-fans of anime films.
The Star-Studded Voice Acting Cast of The Boy and The Heron
Miyazaki’s The Boy and The Heron was the first animated feature that he had released in a decade featured a star-studded cast that features renowned names not only in the original version of the film but also in the dubbed version of the film.
The Japanese version of the film will feature Soma Santoki as Mahito Maki, Masaki Suda as The Heron, Aimyon as Lady Himi, Yoshino Kimura as Natsuko, Takuya Kimura as Shoichi Maki, Shohei Hino as Granduncle, Ko Shibasaki as Kiriko, Kaoru Kobayashi as Noble Pelican, Jun Kunimura as The Parakeet King, Keiko Takeshita as Izumi, Jun Fubuki as Utako, Sawako Agawa as Eriko, Shinobu Otake as Aiko, and Karen Takizawa as Warawara.
The English cast is equally outstanding as features renowned actors like Luca Padovan as Mahito Maki, Robert Pattinson as The Heron, Karen Fukuhara as Lady Himi, Gemma Chan as Natsuko, Christian Bale as Shoichi Make, Mark Hamill as Granduncle, Florence Pugh as Kirikio, Willem Dafoe as The Noble Pelica, and Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King.
The Boy and The Heron will release in theatres on 8 December 2023.
