Peter Cullen explains how he created the voice for Optimus Prime

How did Optimus Prime get such a great voice? Peter Cullen, the man behind the character explains at TFcon.

[hermi-kenobi]

Peter Cullen : The voice of Optimus Prime
Larry Cullen: The soul of Optimus Prime

[dabaruknemuhar]

"Be strong enough to be gentle"

That line Optimus Prime summed up in few words

[nterzept]

No one could ever top Peter Cullen's voice as Optimus Prime. His voice just fits the character so much

[ladyeva]

"MY NAME IS OPTIMUS PRIME."

I'l never get tired of this line no matter how much is repeated! I will never, ever forget Peter Cullen's voice! He is a legend!

[a-mellowtea]

"Be strong enough to be gentle."

I do not have the words for how wonderful a sentiment that is.

[cosmokramer]

Just like how Kevin Conroy was born to play Batman and Keith David was born to play Spawn, Peter Cullen was born to play Optimus Prime

[TripleB-nben]

Voice actors are terribly underrated and don't get the recognition for their talent that they deserve.

[dariusbrock]

Crazy how he created Prime's voice exactly the way he said it: "strong enough to be gentle". It sounds extremely heavy and powerful yet calming and warm. A voice that you don't fear but are intimidated enough to respect.
The opposite with Megatron's voice(both Hugo Weaving and Frank Welker). Menacing, scary and pretty much devilish. Also with a charismatic charm to it.

[BigOSnackary]

“My name is Optimus Prime.” Chills. This man deserves all the respect

[alejandromolina]

"My name is Optimus Prime."

A shudder went through everyone's spine.

[dlwpb]

This dude is almost 80 years old... Make more movies, record his voice for hundreds of hours, this voice cannot be lost

[ISBuckley]

"If you're going to be a hero, be a real hero." Perhaps one of the most profound lines to describe Optimus Prime and so many other heroes we see daily

[EricTheKartoonKing]

"Be strong enough to be gentle." That right there is why he got the part, and why he embodies the character - because that IS the character. Optimus is the strongest and toughest being, while staying the most gentle of them all.

[spaceman]

My wife and I went to see “Transformers” when it came out. I didn’t know that Peter Cullen was portraying Optimus in the movie. I’d only heard rumors before release. The screen goes black and you hear, “In the beginning, there was the cube”. About half the audience, including me, gasped. I turned to my wife and said, “Oh my God, that’s Optimus Prime. The voice from the cartoons. They got him!”. People clapped and cheered . It was a great moment. I get tears in my eyes every time.

[TheUnholyLeviathan]

"My name, is Optimus Prime." - Legitimate goosebumps.

[dunkelzhan]

You can just see the love in Peter's eyes as he talks about his brother. To this day I thank Larry for giving Peter that advice

[Elving_]

"Be strong enough to be gentle" Words to live by..

[hazimesahe]

So optimus prime is an impression of his older brother.... That's so heartwarming

[mileshamilton]

"My name is Optimus Prime."
the crowd was completely silenced by his dominance

[shadowwolfe]

No matter how many times I've watched this I still get chills when Peter Cullen says "My name is Optimus Prime."