Robert Pattinson has a surprise inspiration for his voice in new movie Mickey 17: Ren and Stimpy

Oct. 18, 2024



The Batman actor isn’t afraid to take a risk, clearly

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Robert Pattinson had a surprise inspiration for his voice work in Bong Joon Ho’s new movie Mickey 17: Ren and Stimpy – and his first idea was even stranger.

In the upcoming sci-fi film – based on Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey7 – Pattinson plays Mickey, an ‘expendable’ who is ‘reprinted’ by his employer upon his death. However, a mix-up means Mickey 17 suddenly comes face to face with Mickey 18, with the former surviving a perilous trip to the world of Niflheim.

To differentiate between the pair (both played by Pattinson),The Batmanactor was influenced by Ren and Stimpy, the Nickelodeon cartoon characters from the early-to-mid 1990s.

“It’s a little like Stimpy,” Pattinson toldEmpireof his Mickey 17 voice. “When 18 comes in, it’s a little bit more like Ren.”

Remarkably, thatwasn’tPattinson’s first choice for his distinctive Mickey 17 voice. Instead, that honor falls to a take on Jackass alumni Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville. Unfortunately for the actor, director Bong Joon Ho gave a crushing verdict.

“I love Steve-O’s voice. We did it on the first read-through,” Pattinson said. “And Bong was like, ‘That voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard.’ I was like, ‘Is that a good thing?’ He was like, ‘No.'”

The first trailer for Mickey 17landed in September, with Pattinson’s Mickey(s) being put through the wringer in the sci-fi thriller.

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I’m the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you’ll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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