Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron Really Put Robert Pattinson to Work

This weekend marks the start of a new era for Studio Ghibli. Earlier this year, the acclaimed studio brought The Boy and the Heron to life in Japan, and the film left audiences speechless. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron marks another beloved entry by the artist, and it is ready to screen stateside. The film’s English dub is set to premiere nationwide this weekend, and as it turns out, star Robert Pattinson was more than ready to put in work on the movie.

Not long ago, Indie Wire shared an interview it did with the team at GKIDS who oversaw the dubbing of The Boy and the Heron. It was there Rodney Uhler, director of acquisitions and development, said Pattinson was overjoyed to take part in Miyazaki’s new film as the Heron.

“When we introduced the film to him, he was, I would say, giddy with excitement. He was nothing but enthusiastic about the project, not only because of the film but also because of the prospect of doing this role in particular. We didn’t offer him a platter of roles – we offered him only the Heron, and he was very, very excited about being presented with a role as complicated and nuanced as this one,” he shared.

Adding in, voice director Michael Sinterniklaas stressed Pattinson had done plenty of homework before even arriving to the recording studio. It seems the actor prepared for his first voice acting gig by perfecting his tone on his iPhone, and the voice Pattinson developed proved he was the right man for the job.

“I thought he’s a fine actor but there was nothing in his body of work to indicate that he could do this crazy thing,” the director shared. “When he came to our studio in L.A., he was like ‘OK, I’ve been thinking about this role and I recorded some stuff. Do you want to hear it?’ And he whips out his iPhone and plays some stuff that he’s just been doing in the Memos app and it was already the voice. I was like, ‘Oh, bingo, you’ve already got the character.”

If you are eager to hear Pattinson’s work in The Boy and the Heron, you will want to hit up theaters this weekend. GKIDS has already started screening Miyazaki’s movie in IMAX, and more screens will join in on the fun shortly. Both subbed and dubbed versions of The Boy and the Heron will be screening, so make sure you get tickets for the showing you prefer!

What do you think about Pattinson’s role in The Boy and the Heron? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!