A rising star lends voice to Clumsy in The Smurfs

MANILA, Philippines - He’s one of Hollywood’s hottest rising young stars. With Anton Yelchin’s performances in Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, The Beaver and Fright Night, the Russian-born actor is becoming a household name. Now, he lends voice to Clumsy in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s hybrid live-action and animated family comedy in 3D, The Smurfs.

If it wasn’t for bad luck, Smurf Clumsy wouldn’t have any luck at all — wherever he goes, calamity is sure to follow. With two left feet and an oversized hat and ears, Clumsy’s good intentions pave the road for trouble — and this time the road he chooses leads the Smurfs into a strange new place, New York City. But everyone has a hero inside of him, and when his other Smurfs need him, Clumsy will prove that you can be more than a name.

Yelchin’s performance as Clumsy is a little different than the Clumsy that die-hard Smurf fans might remember. “I was familiar with Clumsy from the TV series, where he had that Southern twang,” he says. “I went back and watched that, and then director Raja Gosnell and I talked about it. We decided to make Clumsy a little simpler, a little sweeter. His voice is pitched higher than my normal speaking voice — it’s full of joy, optimism and enthusiasm for life. Clumsy isn’t trying to mess anything up for anybody — he’s just clumsy and actually, he’s tired of being clumsy.”

“Clumsy is the heart and soul of the movie,” says Gosnell. “His journey is the most emotional. He’s kind of the put-upon younger brother — in a way, the cause of all their problems — trying to find his place in the big Smurf family. Anton has an incredibly youthful, soulful voice, perfect for our little Clumsy.”

Yelchin will be back on the big screen again later in September starring in the Disney/Dreamworks thriller Fright Night. Yelchin stars opposite Colin Farrell and Toni Collette. The film will be released in 3D.

Yelchin’s past projects include his role in the film New York, I Love You, Terminator: Salvation, which grossed $370M worldwide; Star Trek, which grossed $383M worldwide; Alpha Dog, Hearts in Atlantis, for which he received a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film-Leading Young Actor, and Fierce People. Yelchin also received the Explosive Talent Award at the 2002 Giffoni Film Festival in Italy.

Yelchin has appeared on some of television’s most critically-acclaimed dramas. He starred opposite Hank Azaria in Showtime series Huff for two seasons. He also had guest-starring roles in Criminal Minds and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Yelchin currently resides in Los Angeles.

Showing in theaters, The Smurfs is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.