Who Voices The Puppet In Netflix's Eric

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for Eric on Netflix.

Summary The puppet in Netflix's Eric is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, who also plays Vincent in the gripping psychological drama.

Eric is an extension of Vincent's mind, so it makes sense that the actor portrays the giant, furry puppet.

Cumberbatch initially considered a more "startling" voice for Eric, but the creative team decided against this.

Netflix's Eric gets its name from a puppet who helps Vincent Anderson find his son, and viewers might be wondering who voices Benedict Cumberbatch's big, furry companion in the show. Although Eric is about the disappearance of nine-year-old Edgar Anderson, the series features puppets throughout its six-episode run. This is because Edgar's father works on Good Day Sunshine, a children's production that designs and utilizes puppets to entertain its audience. Vincent and Edgar bond over their shared interest in drawing and design, and Edgar shares his idea for a puppet named Eric just before disappearing.

Unhappy with how he left things with his son, Vincent believes that making Edgar's design a reality and putting the puppet on television will bring Edgar home. And as he makes some strange attempts to find his son, Vincent begins seeing and hearing the very puppet he seeks to create. Eric follows Vincent around, berating his search strategies and instructing him on how to locate Edgar. It's somewhat humorous, but it also paints a picture of how unstable Vincent becomes. The puppet has a distinct look and voice, and viewers might question who in Eric's cast provides the latter.

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Benedict Cumberbatch Is The Voice Of Eric's Giant Puppet

The Actor Plays 2 Roles In The Netflix Series

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Cumberbatch is the actor who voices the titular puppet in Netflix's Eric, and this revelation makes the actor's work on the series that much more impressive. Since Cumberbatch already brings all the nuances of Vincent to life over its six episodes, it's a testament to his talent that he also captures the personality of the puppet. As Eric is a product of Vincent's mind, it does make sense that the actor portrays him as well. And considering Vincent eventually steps into the puppet suit to give a speech during Eric's ending, it keeps all iterations of the character uniform.

Since Cumberbatch already brings all the nuances of Vincent to life over its six episodes, it's a testament to his talent that he also captures the personality of the puppet.

Still, given how deep Eric's voice is compared to Vincent's, viewers might not immediately recognize that the same person brings them to life. The series shows Edgar and Vincent coming up with the voice of the big, furry creature, but Netflix could have easily brought in a voice actor to tackle the latter's mental version of him. Instead, Eric gives Cumberbatch even more opportunities to shine. And the actor hand a hand in creating the puppet's voice in real life as well.

How Benedict Cumberbatch Came Up With The Puppet's Voice

Eric's Lead Initially Wanted A More "Startling" Pitch

During an interview with Digital Spy, Cumberbatch discussed how he decided on the voice he would use for Eric. Given how "utterly linked with Vincent" the puppet is, the actor felt that the voice "had to belong to my body." He initially wanted to use a pitch that was "more startling" than his usual tone of voice. The actor felt that going deeper could place limits on his expression. However, Eric's creative team disagreed, and so the puppet wound up with a deeper voice in the Netflix series.

Ultimately, it seems Cumberbatch struck the right balance. The voice suits the puppet and doesn't distract from the more serious themes of Eric's narrative. Going higher could have made the puppet seem ridiculous or overly comical. The final product avoids either of these outcomes, but it still adds something lighthearted to Vincent's character arc, as well as his relationship with Edgar.

Source: Digital Spy

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