![]() ![]() HAL 9000 with Rain's voice brought calm and humanity to a machine that seemed perfect in all possible ways in contrast to the robotic and lifeless astronauts of whom he shares company outer space. ![]() The rest is history: Rain won the role despite being an almost unknown actor with few theatre and TV film/series roles on his resume but Kubrick's choice turned out to be the perfect one. But Kubrick wanted something with an extra-quality and his description to an assistant of what he wanted was to find him an actor who could have an intelligent, sincere and disarming voice with some friendly quality. What most people don't know is that he wasn't the first choice of Stanley Kubrick for voicing the most famous robot voice of all time: Kubrick had in mind using the voice of more famous and established actors such as Martin Balsam, Jason Robards and Walter Pidgeon (just to name a few). Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.Cinema lovers and sci-fi fans will always remember the great Douglas Rain not exactly by his face but specially because of his vocal talents that brought him attention and eternity in the cinema world as the soothing voice of computer HAL 9000 in the classic 2001: Космічна Одіссея (1968) and its sequel Космічна одіссея 2010 (1984). One of the best performances in film, with just his voice. RIP Douglas Rain, the chillingly calm tones of HAL 9000 in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. Rain is being mourned on social media by the likes of Edgar Wright, who calls his work as HAL 9000 one of the best performances in film history. Rain ultimately checked off all the boxes for Kubrick, who called Rain’s voice “perfect” for HAL because of its “arresting quality.” In addition to Cooke and Balsam, others considered to voice HAL included Jason Robards, Walter Pigeon, Richard Basehart, and Jose Ferrer. The voice is neither patronizing, nor is it intimidating, nor is it pompous, over dramatic, or actorly. Kubrick described his desired voice by writing, “I would describe the quality as being sincere, intelligent, disarming, the intelligent friend next door, the Winston Hibler/Walt Disney approach. 'Song of the South': 13 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial MovieĪs detailed by author Kate McQuiston in “We’ll Meet Again: Musical Design in the Films of Stanley Kubrick,” Kubrick sent his set assistant Ben Reyes on a mission to find the right voice actor to play HAL. Stanley Kubrick's Estate Approves '2001' Nod in 'Barbie' Teaser: 'Sincerest Form of Flattery'ĭouglas Trumbull Dies: '2001' and 'Blade Runner' Visual Effects Master Was 79ġ7 HBO and HBO Max Original Series to Get Excited About in 2023 Balsam read for the role but Kubrick thought his voice was too emotional. Radio broadcaster Alistair Cooke and actor Martin Balsam were originally considered. The actor was not cast as the intelligent robot until late in production. The actor also received a Tony nomination in 1972 for his role in Robert Bolt’s production of “Vivat! Vivat! Regina!” Rain recorded his voice work on “2001” in post-production. Rain voiced HAL 9000 in Kubrick’s “2001” and the sequel, “2010: The Year We Make Contact,” directed by Peter Hyams.
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