For her first dubbing experience, the versatile Naadei Lyonnais lends her voice to Roz, the most dedicated of the automatons and main character of the most recent DreamWorks film, Wild robot.
Host (Love Island, The human race), actress (Before the crash), model, musician, creative director… Naadei Lyonnais’ CV is very varied. The Quebecer can now add “voice of the friendly and helpful ROZZUM 7134”, simply called Roz. Heroine of Peter Brown’s books, she is at the center of the feature film Wild robot (The Wild Robotin original version).
“I have this habit of trying new things without necessarily understanding the scope of the project before diving into it,” explains Naadei Lyonnais in a telephone interview. “It was when I watched the film that I realized that it was very big, very beautiful and that I was very lucky to be part of it, especially since I had absolutely no experience in dubbing. »
In the Chris Sanders film (Lil0 & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods), Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is the voice of Roz. Pedro Pascal plays the fox Fink (Escobar in French, with the voice of Frédérik Zacharek), while the gosling Brightbill (Joli-Bec, with the voice of Philippe Vanasse-Paquet) is played by Kit Connor .
By accident, the latter’s family is crushed by Roz upon her painful arrival on a small island populated by animals following the shipwreck of a shipment of robots from the company Universal Dynamics. The automaton will become the adoptive mother of the runt orphan and will gradually gain the trust of the local wildlife.
“No one left the first screening with dry eyes,” says Naadei Lyonnais. When I recorded the trailer, I wasn’t able to see the film in its entirety. By watching it in full, I was able to understand the evolution of Roz, who discovers her humanity little by little. »
She says she was inspired by the “extraordinary” interpretation of Lupita Nyong’o, whose robotic voice from the beginning softens over the course of her discussions with the animals. The scene where Roz sits for a long time to listen and absorb their language is particularly beautiful. “There is a rhythm to protect and highlight,” adds Naadei Lyonnais. As in real life, learning is never linear. Sometimes we go back a little before moving forward again. »
A universal story
This is the message conveyed by Wild robot. With perseverance, support and love, any challenge can be overcome. The actress believes that Roz’s tenacity is similar to hers. “There’s a resilience that’s part of her that goes beyond her programming. I don’t give up easily and I think that’s a great quality. Sometimes it can harm us, but in his case, it’s positive. I recognized a lot of myself in her. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY UNIVERSAL PICTURES CANADA
Naadei Lyonnais, on the occasion of a special screening at StarCité Montréal, last Monday
Naadei Lyonnais believes that Wild robot tells a “great” universal story for children, but can also appeal to adults. “I’m at an age where I consider myself at a crossroads between being someone’s child and then being someone’s mother. I now come to understand the dedication and sacrifice of parents and how sometimes you have to completely disregard yourself to be able to give what someone else needs. This film really confronted me with that. I called my mom several times during the recording period,” she confides in an emotional voice.
The Montrealer who grew up in Rouyn is proud of the elements of her culture that were integrated into the film. “We are lucky to have a Quebec dubbing because we are different. These are not the same things that move us. There are certain particularities that we cannot recreate from English, so we made choices that better reflect who we are,” mentions the one that we will soon see in two series, one broadcast this fall and the other in winter. She is also filming a 10-episode documentary on female neurodivergence. Like Roz, Naadei Lyonnais is capable of anything.
In the room