While I was browsing the Robert Heinlein article in Wikipedia the other day, I was immediately struck by the similarity between the NS-5 model robot in the 2004 “I, Robot” film, and this photo of Robert Heinlein from his academy years.
Coincidence? Or intentional? I just had to record it somewhere.
I got no robot image when I clicked the link.
Interesting, try this image instead.
Is this the Robot you meant? I don’t see the similarity.
Jim
All I get is an ad for Media Jonez, just like the first link.
I remember the robot from the movie (even tho neither of the above links showed a robot pic) and I do see a resemblance - especially around the mouth.
Weird, Try Google Image for NS-5 Robot
Jim
I have come to the conclusion that this topic is a low-caloric activity for me.
Anon.
Wow. That’s remarkable. I clicked on the Heinlein pic first, and immediately saw the resemblance. Looking at the robot picture just confirmed it. The shape and proportion of the face is the same. Even the features are similar.
Alan Tudyk played Sonny in the movie, but I don’t know to what extent Sonny’s face and movements were modeled after Tudyk’s. Because Tudyk doesn’t seem to look anything like Sonny. Did Tudyk provide only the voice?
Oh, for the love of God…
MediaJonez has some stupid hotlink-prevention system. Let’s try the review itself.
When you can’t make a link work like that, drag the link to your address bar and it will work properly.
I just had a look through the Cinefex article about I, Robot and it says the director wanted a serene, angelic, androgenous face for the NS-5, so there doesn’t appear to be any deliberate attempt to model it after Robert Heinlein.
Coincidence or not, when I saw the link in the OP to RAH’s photo, I saw a resemblence right away to at least my memory of the robot from the film.
I don’t see it.
Anyway, wouldn’t they be more likely to use Isaac Asimov as a model since it was his robot stories the movie was (very loosely) based upon?
That would have been a way better robot…
I thought Isaac Asimov really WAS a robot. It’s doubtful that a mere human could write that many books in one lifetime…
Though there is a casual resemblance, even if the filmmakers were going for an in-joke, I think that the prevailing image of Heinlein is from a bit later, say around 1940, when his hair was considerably thinner and he had his trademark neatly-trimmed mustache, or the 1970s when he was bald and frail. Even some people who are fans of Heinlein probably have not seen the Academy photo.
Sir Rhosis
That style of blank-faced photography was more or less standard back in the day. The cameras and lighting tended to drown out most facial details, I think - the resemblance is because both have fairly blank faces.
