O. Ryan Paxton

O. Ryan Paxton is a human from the real life continuity family.

Why he's standing with Bob Ross, we'll never know.

O. Ryan Paxton is a Shakespearean actor, known in the Transformers franchise for his portrayal of Optimus Prime in the movie adaptation of the 13 issue Transformers vs. G.I. Joe comic series.

Fiction

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

O. Ryan Paxton was too old for Transformers, and his children too young. Despite this, he campaigned for the role of Optimus Prime, going so far to read as much classic Transformers media as he could to prepare himself. He was impressed with the inherent goodness of the character, especially how it managed to exist across multiple iterations and franchises. Industry watchers were surprised when the role went to him, an actor best known for the stage, rather than a big-name star. Paxton drew inspiration from his own grandfather when crafting his interpretation of the character. Unlike previous iterations, he wore a rubber suit to portray Optimus rather than merely lending a voice.

He enjoyed watching Rescue Bots with his grandchildren, and found acting across the table from the Megatron AI created for the film to be an incredible experience. Transformers vs. G.I. Joe: The Movie Adaptation

Notes

• His name is a reference to Orion Pax, the pre-Prime identity of Optimus Prime in a number of continuities. Likewise, his likeness is clearly modelled after Peter Cullen.
• The above image of Paxton mirrors this image of Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) between scenes on the set of Star Wars.

External links

• Anthony Daniels and the C-3PO costume (from Wookieepedia)