There are many actors working in Hollywood who are underappreciated, but it's those who do the work most of us don't even think about while watching a movie that might be most overlooked.
Take Imari Williams, for example. While he's a successful actor in his own right, playing Tremor in Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, you've probably heard his voice in more blockbusters than you could possibly imagine. Why? Well, he serves as the understudy for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson across a multitude of projects, including this October's Black Adam.
Talking to us about playing Tremor (you can read the full interview here), Williams explained that he'll fill in for The Rock when he's unavailable, occasionally going so far as to record the actor's efforts, such as his grunts during action scenes.
"I do Black Adam. I’m the understudy voice for The Rock in the new movie. I play his ADR voice, doing his efforts and the voices he doesn’t have time to do," Williams explains. "I’m excited about that. I’d love to play Black Adam in an actual animated project. That would be great, though I did voice him in a LEGO movie. I have already played him in a way."
When we asked what it was like to be a small part of such a big movie, the actor added: "Oh my God, it was just fantastic. I’ve worked on several films for The Rock doing his backup vocals."
"So, if they need someone to fill in before he can record them, I’ll do that. Or, if there are extra efforts he’s too busy to do - and he’s a busy man; he works his ass off - sometimes they’ll bring me in, [adopts The Rock’s voice] and I’ll do some Rock, some hits, some punches, throw in some lines and just do what they want me to do and sound as much like him as I can [Laughs]."
Trust us when we say his Rock voice is spot on, and it's fascinating to think there might be the odd noise coming from Black Adam in the upcoming movie that isn't Johnson at all! He'll obviously do the bulk of the work, and Williams was by no means looking to take anything away from him here.
However, when the actor is inevitably busy elsewhere, Williams is clearly his go-to stand-in! That's a pretty badass job.
Black Adam arrives in theaters on October 21, while Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind will be released on Digital platforms on October 9 and hits Blu-ray on October 11.