Late Queen weighed in against Hollywood’s plans to replace Wallace and Gromit voice star, creator reveals

By Sadie Andrew, CNN

(CNN) — Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park has revealed how the late Queen Elizabeth II backed his decision to keep Peter Sallis as the voice of Wallace when Hollywood executives suggested replacing the actor.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Park recalled how US studio DreamWorks questioned whether Sallis, who was in his 80s at the time, would appeal to younger audiences ahead of the animated duo’s big-screen debut in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005).

“To be honest, they probably would have replaced Peter Sallis actually, because they thought ‘Oh, he’s 80-something, how’s this going to appeal to kids?’” Park said.

The animator, who offered Sallis his last £50 to voice Wallace in the first short film in 1989, explained how he discussed the situation with the late monarch after being seated next to her at a lunch celebrating her 80th birthday.

“She was a fan,” Park told the newspaper. “It was like chatting with my mum.”

Recalling how he raised DreamWorks’ suggestion that they reconsider Sallis for the role, Park said the Queen was firmly on his side.

“I remember her saying, ‘You ought to hang on to him!’” he recalled.

Since their debut in A Grand Day Out in 1989, Wallace and Gromit have starred in three further short films and two feature-length films – earning three Academy Awards – as well as two television series.

Sallis continued voicing the cheese-loving inventor until 2010, when he retired due to ill health. Actor Ben Whitehead subsequently took over the role.

Park also revealed that Hollywood executives had previously suggested changing another iconic element of the franchise: Wallace’s car.

The pair’s trusty Austin A35 was apparently not cool enough for one executive, who proposed swapping it for a more American-style vehicle.

“I remember there was one comment from one exec saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if Wallace & Gromit’s car was more like a cool American pickup truck?’” Park said.

His response was unequivocal: “Nah! It’s an Austin A35. It’s cool because it’s not cool.”

Park’s comments come as Gromit prepares for a major first after almost four decades of silently reacting to his owner’s increasingly outlandish inventions.

The beloved dog is finally getting a voice through a new memoir, Grand: The Autobiography of Gromit: As Told to Nick Park. Actor Martin Freeman, best known for The Hobbit and the British original of The Office, will narrate the audiobook.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Park said Freeman had emerged as the clear favorite for the role.

“The more I thought about it, the more I realised Martin Freeman was the obvious choice, really,” he said. “I was genuinely thrilled and honored when he said yes.”

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