{"id":1960708,"date":"2025-08-14T20:22:39","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T20:22:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1960708"},"modified":"2025-08-14T20:22:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T20:22:39","slug":"alan-tudyk-confirms-he-wont-be-voicing-this-popular-character-in-disneys-live-action-moana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/alan-tudyk-confirms-he-wont-be-voicing-this-popular-character-in-disneys-live-action-moana\/","title":{"rendered":"Alan Tudyk confirms he won\u2019t be voicing this popular character in Disney\u2019s live-action \u2018Moana\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Here&#8217;s some fowl news: Disney&#8217;s beloved <em>Moana<\/em> franchise is making the leap from animation to live action next year, but <strong>Alan Tudyk<\/strong> won&#8217;t be coming along for the ride. The actor and Mouse House voiceover star provided the clucks and crows for the title character&#8217;s trusty rooster sidekick Heihei in the Oscar-nominated 2016 original and its box-office-record-breaking 2024 sequel. But the feathery baton will pass to another performer in the live-action <em>Moana<\/em>, due in theaters on July 10, 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Heihei will be played by someone else,&#8221; Tudyk confirms to Gold Derby during a conversation about his Emmy-nominated voiceover role in the Disney+ series <em>Andor<\/em>. The actor adds that the &#8220;someone else&#8221; will be a female performer whose casting has yet to be revealed. &#8220;Everybody calls Heihei a chicken, even though he&#8217;s a rooster,&#8221; Tudyk jokes. &#8220;So it&#8217;s about time they got an actress to put a little more &#8216;chick&#8217; in the chicken.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>More from Gold Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The live-action <em>Moana<\/em> is directed by <strong>Thomas Kail<\/strong>, frequent collaborator of Oscar-nominated <em>Moana<\/em> songwriter <strong>Lin-Manuel Miranda<\/strong>, who is back onboard the franchise after sitting out <em>Moana 2<\/em>. <strong>Dwayne Johnson<\/strong> is also reprising his role as that demigod with the good hair, Maui, while newcomer <strong>Catherine Laga&#8217;aia<\/strong> is playing the seafaring wayfinder Moana \u2014 a character originated by <strong>Auli\u02bbi Cravalho<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Tudyk and Dwayne Johnson reprised their respective roles as Heihei and Maui in <em>Moana 2<\/em><cite>Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Tudyk makes it clear that there are no hard feelings about not being asked back as Heihei, noting that Disney generally likes to preserve a church and state-style divide between its animated films and their live-action counterparts. &#8220;I do Disney animation,&#8221; he says about his prolific presence across the studio&#8217;s many animated favorites ranging from <em>Big Hero 6<\/em> and <em>Frozen<\/em> to <em>Wreck-It Ralph<\/em> and <em>Zootopia<\/em>. &#8220;They keep putting me in &#8217;em, so I&#8217;ll keep doing &#8217;em!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The one exception to Disney&#8217;s &#8220;no live action&#8221; rule for Tudyk was <strong>Guy Ritchie<\/strong>&#8216;s 2019 redo of <strong><em>Aladdin<\/em><\/strong>, where he was called it at the last minute to provide the voice of Jafar&#8217;s parrot, Iago, a character memorably voiced by the late <strong>Gilbert Gottfried<\/strong> in the 1992 cartoon. &#8220;They called me and said, &#8216;We thought we were going to use a real parrot, but the real parrot isn&#8217;t playing along,'&#8221; Tudyk remembers with a laugh. &#8220;I came in and gave them some parrot sounds.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While Tudyk&#8217;s Disney animation work is mainly recording booth-based, his <em>Star Wars<\/em> duties as reformed Imperial droid K-2SO have required him to don a motion-capture suit for the character&#8217;s appearances in <em>Rogue One<\/em> and <em>Andor<\/em>. And the actor jokes that one silver lining about not being asked back for the live action <em>Moana<\/em> is avoiding having to bring Heihei kicking and clawing into the mo-cap era.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Tudyk and his &lt;em&gt;Star Wars&lt;\/em&gt; alter ego K-2SO on the &lt;em&gt;Rogue One&lt;\/em&gt; set in 2016&lt;cite&gt;Jonathan Olley\/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures\/Lucasfilm Ltd.\/Courtesy Everett Collection&lt;\/cite&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/8B4iUgLCD7tfVtM7BdHjnw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/gold_derby_993\/7ea163c7cc13e5ee6228f15af24df856\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Tudyk and his <em>Star Wars<\/em> alter ego K-2SO on the <em>Rogue One<\/em> set in 2016<cite>Jonathan Olley\/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures\/Lucasfilm Ltd.\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I bet the new Heihei has to do [mo-cap],&#8221; says Tudyk, who had another recent mo-cap role in <strong>James Gunn<\/strong>&#8216;s <em>Superman<\/em> as one of the Fortress of Solitude robots. &#8220;I did motion-capture for <em>Superman<\/em> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.wfsu.org\/2025-07-17\/krypto-the-superdogs-motion-capture-actress-murphy-weed-talks-about-her-experience-with-the-role\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Krypto was played by a young girl;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Krypto was played by a young girl<\/a> [<strong>Murphy Reed<\/strong>] who was jumping around on her knees in a mo-cap suit. I kept thinking, &#8216;I fear for your knees!'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;So I&#8217;m a no to doing motion-capture for animals,&#8221; Tudyk adds about how far he&#8217;ll go for beloved Disney cartoon characters like Heihei. &#8220;That&#8217;s a tough one.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Look for our full interview with Alan Tudyk coming soon<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Best of Gold Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Sign up for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pages.email.goldderby.com\/signup\/?source=yahoo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Gold Derby's Newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Gold Derby&#8217;s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2RWKMjf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Facebook;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Facebook<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2DLfwuG\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Twitter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Twitter<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2BbVeZE\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Instagram;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goldderby.com\/film\/2025\/alan-tudyk-moana-live-action-heihei\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Click here to read the full article.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Click here to read the full article. <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s some fowl news: Disney&#8217;s beloved Moana franchise is making the leap from animation to live action next year, but Alan Tudyk won&#8217;t be coming along for the ride. The actor and Mouse House voiceover star provided the clucks and crows for the title character&#8217;s trusty rooster sidekick Heihei in the Oscar-nominated 2016 original and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1960709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[324068,23301,344120,305874,320493,345194,345195],"class_list":["post-1960708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-alan-tudyk","tag-disney","tag-disney-animation","tag-dwayne-johnson","tag-gold-derby","tag-heihei","tag-moana"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Alan-Tudyk-confirms-he-wont-be-voicing-this-popular-character.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1960708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1960708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1960708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1960709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1960708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1960708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1960708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}