Julia Sawalha has shared her disappointment at losing out on a role in the Chicken Run sequel, claiming she was told her voice “sounded too old” for her to be in the film.
Sawalha, 51, provided the voice for the main character, Ginger, in the first movie. The hen was determined to save herself and her fellow chickens from being made into pies and help to do so arrived in the form of Rocky, voiced by Mel Gibson.
The long-awaited sequel was confirmed on the 20th anniversary of the original, with the film’s creators revealing that the follow-up will see Ginger and Rocky living in a “human-free paradise” where they have a chick of their own, Molly.
But in a statement shared on Twitter late on Thursday night, Sawalha claimed the role of Ginger is being recast.
Stating that she was “informed out of the blue, via email, through my agent,” Sawalha wrote: “The reason they gave is that my voice now sounds ‘too old’ and they want a younger actress to reprise the role.
“Usually in these circumstances, an actress would be given the chance to do a voice test in order to determine the suitability of their pitch and tone, I however was not given this opportunity.”
Sawalha explained that she then taped her own voice test at home and provided a link for fans to listen to it themselves.
She continued: “Today I received a very kind and thoughtfully written response from one of the creatives, outlining their decision, most notably saying ‘Some of the voices (not yours, I agree) definitely sound older’. However, they stated ‘We will be going ahead to re-cast the voice of Ginger’.”
The decision came, Sawalha said, a day before it was announced that Gibson’s role had also been recast.
“If they will be using some of the original cast members…let’s be frank, I feel I have been unfairly dismissed,” she said. “To say 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.”
The Absolutely Fabulous actress added that she’s “saddened” to have “lost the chance to with Aardman Animations’ Nick Park and Peter Lord “from whom I learnt so much.”
“There is nothing more I can do, other than to thank all of you who loved and still love Chicken Run, as I do,” she concluded.
Standard Online has contacted Netflix for comment
Released in 2000, Chicken Run remains the highest-grossing stop-motion animation film of all-time.
As well as receiving rave reviews from critics, the movie garnered two Bafta nominations and made it onto the Golden Globes’ Best Motion Picture shortlist.
Production on the sequel is expected to begin in 2021.
