This was an interview I was very excited about. As a child of the 80s, the voice of Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime is a very comforting and unforgettable part of my memory, as it is to so many others. To the delight of fans, Cullen has been able to reprise the role several times in recent years, first in the Transformers feature films, and then in the Transformers: War for Cybertron video game and the current Transformers: Prime animated series.

With Transformers: Dark of the Moon now on Blu-ray, I spoke to Cullen about the success of that film, and the overall and rather amazing impact Optimus Prime has had - both for fans of Transformers and for the man who voices the noble Autobot leader.Not bad for a truck that turns into a robot!

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Yes it is. It's a staggering thought, and it's humbling at the same time. There's so much involved to get it where it is. There is such great talent behind the scenes as well as from the artistry to the conception to the writing to the directing to the acting. There are so many ingredients that go into creating a success story like Transformers, but this one is certainly unique. For me, I take great pride in being a part of it. It will never cease to be an area of conversation in my life, and thankfully so, because it is such a positive feeling to be able to talk about it. It's one of the highlights of my life.I see a lot of footage in different stages. I've seen pencil sketches in front of me on a big screen, to some digitally animated in one process of creativity. There may be a little color that's being added to it at the time, but certainly it's current for me to see, so I have the picture and I know what's going on. And [I record] to finished moments of digital animation, at the same time. So, I work in that room with Michael [Bay] and an engineer. Then behind me, of course, is the control room; the great guys back there that are making everything happen technically. But it's basically me and a big screen and a microphone. There will be a lot of moments where there will be a little confusion as to what happened prior and what's going to happen, because I wasn't privy to an entire script. I would rely on Michael to get me the information necessary to govern my lines correctly and maintain the character at the same time.True - and I never knew where I was going to be! [Laughs] I shared the same moments of curiosity as you did. From day to day, each recording session would further my curiosity. "What's going to happen now? Am I coming back? Where am I going from here? Am I gonna get killed?" It was always interesting. It was always exciting to at the same time. I was not privy to what everybody else was, which was good. It kept me on my toes.Yeah. When I think about that, it brings back the relationship between the fanbase and Optimus Prime, and it's so unique on its own. And that goes back all the way to 1984. It's something that is, by itself, a very strong core - Prime and fanbase. It's something that transcends the business world. It transcends the normal concepts of entertainment in the film industry. It's unique, and I share with the fanbase... And I hate to use it in such a general term, because one fan to me is the entire fanbase and I look at that fanbase as one individual, because we both share a unique experience. That's a bond that was created that I became aware of over time. It's a bond that's going to remain as long as I'm alive and I value it highly. It's a very unique thing to have as an entertainer or as an actor.