Superman’s Alan Tudyk on Why Robot 4 Got the Name Gary

Actor Alan Tudyk recently shared the story behind how Superman Robot #4 got its name in James Gunn’s film. He also spoke about how the unexpected moment ended up in the final cut.

Alan Tudyk really wanted Robot 4 to have a name in Superman

Alan Tudyk told The Direct he improvised Superman Robot #4’s name, “Gary,” during filming, and it was not in the original script.

He said, “It was like, ‘Why am I Four?’ … I really would like a name.” Tudyk described how David Corenswet, who plays Superman, supported the idea. “Yeah! You should totally have a name.” Tudyk then suggested, “What about Gary?” and James Gunn responded, “I don’t know… Okay, I guess. Let’s shoot it.”

Tudyk revealed that his character was originally only called “Four” because Superman had made earlier robots that didn’t work well, explaining, “The first one is kind of bad… It wasn’t till Four that he’s like, ‘Okay, this is the leader, this is the one.’” He named Gary on the spot and only learned it stayed after the film’s release.

According to Tudyk, Gunn later told him, “You won’t believe how many meetings we had about that name,” as the team debated whether it was the right moment for humor or if it should remain purely heartfelt. Tudyk recalled Gunn saying, “We went back and forth and back and forth about whether or not that was a time for a joke… should we just be all heart at the end?”

Tudyk said they ultimately kept the name because it added a “heartfelt joke,” noting, “He [Superman] loves that robot. That’s one of the reasons why the robot’s so likable. It’s because Superman loves him. He cares about it, so we care about it as an audience.”

He also shared that Nathan Fillion told him about a scene where Superman calls the robot Gary. Tudyk had missed it. This improvised moment stayed in the final cut, adding sentimentality to the ending through Superman’s affection for his creation.

Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net