The teenage actor who voices the famous wooden puppet in the new Disney remake has detailed his preparation before auditioning for the role and behind the scenes of the movie.
- September 12, 2022
AceShowbiz - Benjamin Evan Ainsworth feels "honoured" to be the new Pinocchio. Providing the voice of the wooden puppet in a live-action remake of the 1940 Disney classic alongside Tom Hanks as toymaker Geppetto, the 14-year-old actor was "really impressed" how the CGI worked alongside the real-life stars.
"It was shot in this massive studio, and it was called Cardington Airfield - It was a massive studio the size of the Titanic and it was where they held the Zeppelins in the World War - And all of the sets of Pinocchio were in this massive studio, every location Pinocchio goes to," he said.
"I thought it was really impressive; the art and the art department, and what they did with all the locations. And also the CGI and the live-action, and how they coincide together, I thought it was really cool. It has [hit me] this week, I'd say. It's my first time in LA, and it's like, 'Oh my gosh, this is real. I actually did this.' It's a bit weird. But, I'm more honoured than anything to be able to do this."
"The Haunting of Bly Manor" actor went on to explain that while auditioning for the role of the Disney hero, he "spent a lot of time" listening to the original voice because he wanted to "stay true" to that.
He told ScreenRant:,"First of all, we got the audition through. It was Pinocchio, Robert Zemeckis, and that was already an honour. 'Oh my gosh. Okay. We gotta do this.' So, I spent a lot of time going over the voice; the 1940s original. I thought it was very important to stay true to that, so I listened to a lot of Dickie Jones' Pinocchio."
"Pinocchio" is available to stream now on Disney+.
