Cully Fredricksen


Cully Fredricksen lent his voice and likeness to General Rahm Kota in the video games Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, its sequel _The Force Unleashed II_, and _Battlefront: Elite Squadron_. In the original Force Unleashed title, his name appeared in the credits as Cully Fredericksen, while StarWars.com articles have referred to him as Cully Fredrickson.

Biography

Fredricksen is an actor with a significant background in science fiction productions, notably portraying the Vulcan Captain (recognized as the first alien to step onto Earth) in Star Trek: First Contact and Dereth in Star Trek: Voyager. He also made appearances in various other television shows, including Midnight Caller, Silk Stalkings, ER, and Renegade.

Fredricksen was the first actor to be chosen for The Force Unleashed video game. He was one of several actors auditioning for the role, and his immersive, in-character approach during the reading initially led W. Haden Blackman, the casting director, to think he might be distant and hard to collaborate with. However, it quickly became clear that Fredricksen was simply embodying Kota. This, along with the actor's physical presence and his capacity for a wide array of facial expressions, convinced the production team to cast him as the hardened general. Blackman characterized Fredricksen as a "consummate professional" and "a lot of fun to work with."

Later, he re-recorded some of the character's lines for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition, and he returned to the role of Kota in Battlefront: Elite Squadron (without credit) and The Force Unleashed II.

Sources

Notes and references

  • Cully Fredricksen at the Internet Movie Database
  • Casting and Capturing Captivating Performances - Casting Characters on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  • The Force Unleashed: Co-Star Evolution on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)

Appearances