Sam Rockwell lends his voice to Darwin, leader of the "G-Force"

Acclaimed actor Sam Rockwell (“The Green Mile,” “Charlie’s Angels”), who also has a wonderful voice, powerful and strong, provides the voice of Darwin, the guinea pig team leader in Walt Disney Pictures’ new family adventure “G-Force.”

“Oh, it’s very strange,” admits Rockwell about bringing a non-human character to life. “But when they said ‘action guinea pig movie,’ I showed up—I was like, ‘I’m there!’ Darwin is a superspy and has sort of a Steve McQueen guinea-pig vibe, so it’s fun to play an action hero.”

Rockwell had experience with guinea pigs, having had one for a pet when he was a kid. “His name was Ralph and he used to bite my finger a lot,” recalls the actor. “It didn’t feel good. I don’t know if Ralph liked me or not, but I think he had some emotional issues. Darwin is much more well adjusted.”

A recent No. 1 hit in the U.S., “G-Force” is a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws.

Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin, the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster (voice of Tracy Morgan), an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez (voice of Penelope Cruz), a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles (voice of Nicolas Cage), the computer and information specialist.

Rockwell was able to record some of Darwin’s scenes with his friend and colleague Jon Favreau (“The Break-Up,” “Four Christmases”). The character actor and director of the recent smash hit “Iron Man” provides the voice of the fat and happy Hurley who members of the G-Force meet up with in a pet store.

“I’m the flatulent comic relief in the film,” says Favreau. “I think that if you’re going to play a guinea pig, you want to be a funny guinea pig. Hurley thinks that Darwin is his brother, based on a birthmark that they both have, and he’s taken quite a shine to the guy. Hurley has grown up in a pet shop, never adopted by a family, and he’s a bit needy for attention and love. G-Force becomes his de facto family, and Darwin his long lost brother, even though he probably isn’t. I think Hurley gives an emotional center to the group.”

Favreau was attracted to the material for reasons both artistic and personal. “It’s fun to do voiceover because you get to be a part of the movie but don’t have to deal with things like going out of town, living in hotels, getting into makeup. Also, I have three kids, so it was a chance to be part of something that my family could enjoy watching together.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “G-Force” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.