has revealed he was so intimidated to take on the role of Buzz Lightyear’s voice after Tim Allen, that he ended up doing an impression of the original star.
The actor, 40, is the voice of the iconic character in Pixar’s Lightyear, which shows a new origin story for the toy.
Buzz Lightyear had previously been voiced by Tim Allen, 68, and Chris was aware he had some pretty big shoes to fill.
Speaking to Variety at the premiere for Lightyear in Los Angeles, Chris admitted: ‘The first time you have to do that iconic line, “To Infinity and Beyond…,” you kind of just do a shameless Tim Allen impression. It’s intimidating.
‘But Angus [MacLane, the director] and everyone at Pixar was so collaborative, and you kind of let them guide you.
‘Eventually you feel comfortable enough to make your own tracks in the snow and find your own interpretation, while still using Tim Allen as the blueprint.’
Chris’s take on Buzz gets the seal of approval from co-star Keke Palmer, who plays the role of Izzy Hawthorne.
She revealed: ‘Wait until you guys hear how Chris Evans did Buzz. A lot of people probably feel like, “Oh my gosh, how can you do Buzz again? How can you replace Tim?”
‘There’s no replacing, but there is some evolution, and Chris nailed it. I can’t wait for the kids to get into it, and the parents.’
Keke also revealed that she would love to see Woody the cowboy get his own standalone movie next.
‘Point blank period!’, she enthused. ‘I need to know where my man Woody came from.’
Uzo Aduba, who also stars in the film, is looking forward to the audience finding out more of Buzz’s story, adding: ‘I think a lot of us had questions about who Buzz was and now we get a lot of those answers through this film.
‘What does “To Infinity and Beyond” mean, and why [is he] so serious?’
Lightyear will be released on June 17 in cinemas.
