ENTERTAINMENTHow Orson Welles Felt About His Final Role as a Transformer: 'Nobody in the World Has Acted in as Many Bad Films as I Have'
Legendary filmmaker Orson Welles' final role was to voice Unicron in 'The Transformers: The Movie.'
Oct. 7 2026, Published 9:19 p.m. ET
Orson Welles’ cinematic legacy is undisputed: Actor, writer, director, mastermind behind what’s largely considered the greatest film of all time, Citizen Kane.
But the last few decades of his life mostly saw him taking vocal roles and TV guest spots, all leading to his final role: the villainous transforming planet Unicron in 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie.
'Nobody in the World Has Acted in as Many Bad Films as I Have'
'The Transformers: The Movie' has become a cult classic in the 40 years since its release.
Welles famously was unhappy with much of the work he did in the 1970s and 1980s, and the role of a planet that eats other planets was no exception.
When speaking to biographer Barbara Leaming the day he recorded the lines, Welles had little good to say.
“Nobody in the world has acted in as many bad films as I have,” Welles said. “You know what I did this morning? I played the voice of a toy. Some terrible robot toys from Japan that change from one thing to another. I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I’m destroyed. I tear myself apart on the screen.”
'Proceed ... On Your Way to Oblivion'
The character of Unicron also appeared in 2023's 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'
Welles never had another chance to comment on the film; he died five days after recording his lines, on October 10, 1985.
Despite his disinterest, Welles delivered on the role. His stentorian delivery lent gravitas to lines such as, “Proceed ... on your way to oblivion,” and, “Your bargaining posture is highly dubious.” All this enhanced the role of a character deliberately designed to evoke a satanic cosmic force.
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The character of Unicron was also voiced by John Noble and Colman Domingo in other projects. Peter Cullen voiced the role of his nemesis Optimus Prime until his death earlier this year.
Welles might have been forgiven for considering the role beneath him. Children’s animation was hardly a prestigious field in the 1980s, and the Transformers movie came and went with negative critical reviews and a box office take that barely made a dent.
But in the 40 years since, as Generation X grew up, the film became a beloved cult classic, remembered for its idiosyncratic cast that included Leonard Nimoy, Eric Idle and Robert Stack. And the death of leader Optimus Prime, voiced by Peter Cullen, became such a wound on Generation X that Hasbro jokingly referred to this year’s re-release as “The Apology Tour.”
Since then, Unicron has been a recurring figure in the mythos, memorably voiced by such actors as John Noble and Colman Domingo.
'No, I Don't Think Orson Was Bitter About That'
Longtime Orson Welles friend Peter Bogdanovich believed Welles would have warmed up to the cult classic.
One of Welles’ closest friends was his filmmaking protege Peter Bogdanovich, who spent the years since Welles death as his cheerleader and personal historian. During an "Ask Me Anything" thread on Reddit, Bogdanovich was asked if Welles was as bitter about the role as his quote made it sound. Bogdanovich replied that Welles was probably in a bad mood that day.
“No, I don't think Orson was bitter about that,” he wrote. “Orson wasn't really bitter. He was very acerbic. He could be rather cutting. But I wouldn't say he was bitter. I'm sure he had moments of bitterness, but I don't think it was in his nature, really, to be bitter.”
When told “I hope that as his friend you can appreciate the joy he brought us,” Bogdanovich replied, “It’s nice to hear that. I’m sure he’d like to hear that.”
