Julia Sawalha, one of the stars of the 2000 Aardman Animation classic “Chicken Run,” said Thursday she was not asked to return to the recently announced sequel because producers thought her voice now sounds “too old.”
In a statement shared Thursday, Sawalha said that an actress normally would be allowed to do a voice test to prove they can still match the pitch and tone of the original character, but she said she was informed by producers without being given that chance.
In response, she recorded her own voice demonstration and shared it with producers and posted it to Vimeo, in which she mimics the lines of her character Ginger from the original “Chicken Run.” You can listen to Sawalha’s demo here.
“I went to great lengths to prove to the production that my voice is nigh on the same as it was in the original film. If they will be using some of the original cast members… let’s be frank, I feel unfairly dismissed,” Sawalha said. “To say that I am devastated and furious would be an understatement. I feel totally powerless. Something in all of this doesn’t quite ring true. I trust my instincts and they are waving red flags.”
