Most film and television audiences will recognize Ed Helms for playing Andy Bernard on NBC’s mockumentary sitcom The Office and as Stuart Price in The Hangover trilogy. Helms, known for his work as an actor and comedian, has worked extensively in film and television since his professional debut in 2002. The actor made his on-screen debut in television with The Daily Show.
However, years before he would audition for the satirical news and late-night talk, Ed Helms was a writer, performer, and voiceover artist. Helms began recording voiceover tracks while working as a trainee at the New York City’s Crew Cuts. Although he later got paid for voiceover work, after being hired on The Daily Show, he focused on being an actor. Life came full circle for the actor as he has been offered several voice roles in film and television. Here are his top voice roles in films.
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Interestingly, during his time on The Daily Show, Ed Helms was cast as a field reporter/correspondent in several segments of the show. These include Digital Watch, Ad Nauseam, This Week in God, and Mark Your Calendar. In the Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman-directed 2009 animated science fiction comedy Monsters vs. Aliens produced by DreamWorks Animation, Helms was cast as a News Reporter. The News Reporter is a minor character in Monsters vs. Aliens but one of the first to report on the arrival of the Alien Probe.
The Lorax (2012)
Illumination’s animated musical fantasy comedy The Lorax was Ed Helms’ next voice role after Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). The film’s screenplay was based on Dr. Seuss‘ 1971 children’s book of the same name. In The Lorax, Ed Helms voices one of the film’s main characters, the former inventor who’s now old and reclusive, The Once-ler. Also part of The Lorax‘s top voice cast included Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, and Betty White. While the animated characters and story received mixed reviews from critics, the voice acting, musical score, and animation received special praise. The Lorax is Illumination’s third-produced feature film.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) is the second produced DreamWorks Animation film that Ed Helms is featured in. With the film based on Dav Pilkey‘s Captain Underpants children’s novel series, Helms voices the titular character. Helms voices the mean-spirited and grumpy principal, Mr. Benjamin “Benny” Krupp. He continued to voice the character after George Beard (voiced by Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (voiced by Thomas Middleditch) hypnotized Mr. Krupp. In a hypnotized state, Mr. Krupp believes he is a superhero, Captain Underpants. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) was a critical and commercial success, grossing $125.4 million on a $38 million budget.
Mune: Guardian of the Moon (2017)
The French 3D computer-animated movie Mune: Guardian of the Moon was Ed Helms’ second voice role of 2017. Helms’ performed the English dub of the film by voicing the character Spleen. It was the same character voiced by Canadian actor Brian Drummond in the 2014 English dub of Mune: Guardian of the Moon. Spleen is one of Necross’ henchmen. However, Spleen, although one of the film’s villains, isn’t cut out to wreak havoc and do evil. While his fellow henchman, Mox, is desperate to please Necross by promoting chaos, Spleen naturally loves flowers. Overall, the film received positive reviews from critics.
Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021)
Ed Helms joins the cast of the animated science fiction comedy Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021) in a supporting role. Helms voiced the character of Graham Pudowski. Graham is the father of the lead character, Barney Pudowski (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer), and the son of the Bulgaria-born Donka Pudowski (voiced by Olivia Colman). Ron’s Gone Wrong follows the story of Barney Pudowski and his malfunctioning B-bot, Ron (voiced by Zach Galifianakis). Helms’s voicing abilities enthralled Director Sarah Smith during production. She praised Ed Helms’ improvisation skills and ability to breathe life into the character.