Michael Bay remembered the chills he got after hearing Peter Cullen’s voice for the first time. His passing left generations of fans heartbroken, as the unmistakable voice they had grown up with fell silent. The legendary voice actor passed away at the age of 85, leaving fans devastated.

Cullen had a decades-long career in voice acting, bringing countless characters to life with his gruff and warm voice. He was best known for voicing the Autobot leader Optimus Prime across numerous Transformers films, TV shows, and video games. And Bay, who had the opportunity to work with Cullen for the films, recalled what it was like to hear the actor bring the iconic character to life.

Michael Bay recently joined TMZ’s Charlie Neff for a conversation and looked back on his experience working with Peter Cullen. He recalled being stunned when he first heard Cullen’s deep voice, admitting that he could hardly believe it was actually Cullen's voice. Bay's reaction may have been shared by the billions of fans who have heard Cullen bring Optimus Prime to life.

“I was awestruck, and the chills went down my spine,” he said.

Bay worked with Cullen across several films and described him as a cowboy boot-wearing man who loved horses. The director also made a tribute video compiling scenes of Cullen’s voice to remember him. Bay became emotional while sharing that he learned about Cullen’s passing while he was in Texas. 

He shared that he let the news sink in for about an hour before the emotions finally caught up with him, and he broke down in tears. He further added that he will always remember the legend. And that remains the same for the billions of fans who have listened to Cullen’s voice in different characters.

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One of the most iconic characters that Cullen voiced remains Autobot leader Optimus Prime.

Peter Cullen first voiced Optimus Prime in The Transformers in 1986, and he continued to voice the iconic character across animated films, live-action adaptations, TV shows, and video games. In a 2014 interview with NPR, the late voice actor recalled initially being confused about the character. 

"I auditioned like everybody else," he said. "I was told it was a hero, and I was told it was a truck."

Decades later, Cullen remained one of the most legendary voices behind the Autobot leader. Apart from Transformers, he was also well known for voicing Eeyore in several Winnie the Pooh projects and lending his voice to King Kong. The legend may be gone, but that unmistakable voice will continue to live on in the hearts of the fans.

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Do you rememeber Peter Cullen's voice in the films? Let us know in the comments.