In a recent interview, Peter Cullen, the voice artist for Optimus Prime in the Transformers film series, spoke about playing the part over all these years and any changes fans can expect in the character with Transformers: Age of Extinction.

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In the April 27 interview with USA Today, Cullen stated that his inspiration while voicing the iconic character came from his brother Larry, who had served in the Vietnam war and died in 2011

"Though Larry's gone," Cullen said, "he lives on in my mind as Optimus Prime because he was my hero."

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Cullen has been voicing the character for over 3 decades now, starting with the Transformers cartoons in the Eighties.

Interestingly, Bay has been suggesting that Age of Extinction will give a fresh start to the series and that Optimus Prime will also be undergoing some changes as he starts to lose faith in the goodness of mankind. But Cullen believes that even faced with these challenges Optimus Prime will stay strong and his most valuable traits will endure. 

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"He is exactly who he was from the very original concept," Cullen said. "I've always felt a hero should have the qualities that are inspiring and helpful and fatherly and at the same time (be) courageous. I don't see those character traits changing at all."

Cullen's son Clay is also a stuntman in Age of Extinction.

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Transformers: Age of Extinction will hit theaters on June 27, 2014. 

Watch a trailer for the film here:

Tags: Transformers 4: Age of Extinction