“Spoilers suck. And in my case, very expensive.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stars several Hollywood stars, from Chris Pratt to Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper, who lends his voice to the animated raccoon Rocket Raccoon. However, if you watch the film in cinemas in Germany, there is a high probability that you will not hear anything about Cooper. Because it can only be heard in the original version.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Interview with Fahri Yardım about Rocket and the conclusion of the Marvel trilogy

In Germany, Rocket has been voiced by Fahri Yardım since the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. In the third part, the talking raccoon plays by far the most important role. Yardım’s voice is the emotional core of the grand Guardians finale. We met the actor and voice actor in Berlin for an interview.

Moviepilot: When someone told you back then that you would take on the role of a talking raccoon. What was your first reaction?

Fahri Yardim: Indignation. Fury. Resistance. I doubted everything, but mostly myself. At some point, a couple of friends who knew about Guardians of the Galaxy came up and said, “You have to do this!” When I saw the first part, it took me five minutes I’m grateful and humbled now and appreciate the advance of trust, but when someone told me back then that I should play a broken raccoon with a broken brain, I was of course very offended.

You can watch the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 here:

What did you know about the Marvel Universe back then?

I already had a few comics at home, the only thing I didn’t know was Guardians of the Galaxy. There was someone in my family who worked at a comic store and would provide me with all sorts of Marvel stuff. I was a fan before the movies even started.

When will you be brought on board when it comes to dubbing work on a new Guardians of the Galaxy movie?

The film is in the final stages of editing. With every new version involving Rocket, I trudge back into the dressing room. Some of the scenes and the picture are not finished yet. Many CGI effects are missing and no special spoilers are revealed. All the cameos and mysteries of the Marvel Universe are mostly blurry. Sometimes only the mouth of a speaking figure remains.

Wait, what do you mean you only see the mouth?

All of the image around a character’s mouth is hidden. You see a small section of a circle and that’s where this mouth speaks. Because the Marvel films are so popular and intertwined, the secrets are guarded like treasure. My curiosity is not satisfied either. In this respect, I am a spectator and a participant at the same time.

You probably won’t get a complete script beforehand?

No, I can only watch the unfinished film. Anyway!

So do you even know how the movie ends?

How it will most likely end. And certain secrets are simply not given to the German voice actors either. I could also be a chatterbox.

Can you give examples from the last two parts?

In the second part I recognized Sylvester Stallone by his very characteristic mouth and then I preferred to keep my mouth shut in public. Spoilers suck. And in my case very expensive.

Who do you work with on the recording? I take it you’re out of touch with James Gunn?

No.

Then who is your director? Who guides you creatively?

In this case Björn Schalla, a wonderful dialogue director and experienced speaker himself. A cutter sits at my side, who pays close attention to lengths and lifts. And finally someone from the sound mix. So a team that accompanies me when it comes to rhythms, liveliness and energy. And of course I always listen to Bradley Cooper’s version beforehand.

have you met him

No.

Does he know you’re talking to him?

At least that’s what I always say, but I’m afraid he doesn’t give a damn. I would like to have a small WhatsApp group with him, and I keep saying that it exists. At the moment it is a group with only one person.

Do you text yourself?

Actually, I’m texting Bradley. But there is no answer. I always try to strike up a conversation with him. Wants to share insider knowledge from the speaker booth with him. What lollipops help when the back of your throat starts to scratch. But nothing ever comes back. A very lonely conversation. In his defence, it would be presumptuous to hope that Bradley Cooper knows who is dubbing him in all the different languages. The next time I meet him, I still yell at him, “Answer me!”

What was the hardest sentence for you during the recording?

I don’t remember an explicit sentence. In the third part, the challenge lay in the range of emotions. Rocket’s story takes center stage. We get to know new sides of him and dive into his past. And then he sings too! I’m really not known for being a gifted singer.

So you sang the Creep yourself in the beginning?

I had to! Great song! So singing is a bit exaggerated, more like grumbling along a bit.

When you speak your lines, are you alone in the studio or is the rest of the voice cast present and you record together?

This is recorded one after the other. I was lucky that many roles had already been spoken. So I was able to partially answer the sentences of the German colleagues. Little by little it all gets put together. The recording itself takes place in the solo game.

How often do you listen to the Bradley Cooper version?

As often as I need it. It is not an attempt to copy the timbre. It’s more about the emotions and the style. is it dry Is it humorous? is it noisy is it angry There are such emotional curves that I want to take with me as a speaker. But in the end, German isn’t English and something unique always comes out. Bradley Cooper and I are not the same person. And he never answered my questions on WhatsApp either. I often asked him for advice. But as I said: very one-sided conversation.

He could have had so much influence on German synchro.

Yes, unprofessional. He’s just insanely unprofessional.

What has grown on you most about Rocket over the years?

What fascinates me most about him is that no matter how rowdy and angry he is, we still sympathize with him. Despite all the aggression, something warm and caring has remained. He is traumatized and yet he was also given unconditional love. This simultaneity of cracks and healing makes him an exciting character.

What surprised you the most in part 3?

When I watch a Marvel film, the first thing I think of is big popcorn cinema and great entertainment. I’m pressed into the armchair and then walk out of the cinema with a happily stupid grin. But the fact that the spectacle touched me so emotionally – that was the biggest surprise. Few superhero films manage this change so elegantly. That they manage to shoot a fine and moving film against this huge Marvel backdrop. I take my hats off to that.

Have you ever wished that there were such superhero films from Germany?

The dimensions are different here. Marvel serves a global market. They have other sums available. Germany’s sales do not go out into the world as a matter of course. Nothing new in the West has shown that more is possible. That greatness is possible. Although I wasn’t involved, I’m really proud that it resonates with so many people. I wish that we would dare to venture into the big world, at least artistically. Probably a childish longing in me.

Many German Marvel fans immediately identify your voice with Rocket. When James Gunn and the US stars go on a promotional tour and talk about a big Guardians family, do you feel a part of it?

That would be presumptuous to claim. They’ve been together for months and sweat together. My stakes are much smaller. I’m happy to be a part of it and grateful for the trust to speak this role. But I wouldn’t call myself part of the family. That would be pandering… like I do with Bradley Cooper. What I think is important is that you can feel the passion. There’s such celebrity dubbing that it’s obvious it was just done for marketing. I wish I was more in the series where ass fits bucket, like Otto and Sid in the Ice Age movies or Hape Kerkeling and Olaf in Frozen.

After three Guardians of the Galaxy films, what is the defining song of the series for you?

I was happy that Creep was featured, one of my favorite songs. But the signature Guardians song is actually the very first one for me, Come and Get Your Love, when Peter Quill is introduced there in the cave, sings to the rats and then happily kicks them away. That’s the sound of the series.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been in cinemas since May 3, 2023.