Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise has made upcoming talents like Shia LaBeouf a household name while also having experienced actors like Mark Wahlberg and Josh Duhamel as integral characters in the films. Duhamel, who first gained recognition on daytime television through his appearance in soaps operas like All My Children, found himself in a departure from his usual roles when he accepted to be part of Transformers.
The actor who played fighter pilot Colonel William Lennox in the franchise, was clearly out of his comfort zone in the new action avatar and had to undergo extensive training to prepare himself to play the part of a soldier in the films.
Also Read: Shia LaBeouf Didn’t Even Make $1,000,000 for a Transformers Movie That Made Almost 1000X His Salary
Josh Duhamel Went Through Hard Rigor To Play A Solider In Transformers
Having worked extensively in soap operas on daytime television and in light rom-com roles, Josh Duhamel signed on for a very different character in Michael Bay’s Transformers. The star who played a fighter pilot in the films, was far removed from doing action-oriented roles which then required him to have an extensive crash course on the basics of flying. In a feature on the making of Transformers by Scene Cine, Duhamel spoke of actually sitting in a fighter jet and learning the ropes from a professional pilot.
“I had to go through about four or five hours of training and, you know, they basically tell you, ‘Okay, this is what’s going to happen if you have to eject from the seats.’ I had to change shorts after I left that training… And he let me actually fly it a bit, he’s like, ‘Okay, turn it ten degrees and we’ll go down to 1500 feet.’ I didn’t throw up once.”
This hands-on training and rigor however, was not needed as Duhamel ultimately did not end up flying a jet in any of the scenes in the film.
Michael Bay Made Transformers More American
While it is common knowledge that the Transformers movie franchise was inspired by a toy line that expanded into comics and animated films, the original casting for the Autobots and Decepticons was very international. While we know Bumblebee to be a Chevrolet Camaro, the character was originally a Volkswagen Beetle. Similarly, Jazz was supposed to be Martini Porsche 935 before being changed to a Pontiac Solstice.
The reason behind this Americanization of the Transformers in the movies was a way for Michael Bay to save some money in the budget with the director reportedly approaching American auto makers to reach a partnership. In later movies though, there is a shift in this ideaology with international car makers like Audi, Ferrari, and Mercedes pushing their brand forward to be featured in the films.
Source: Scene Cine
