Jarret LeMaster has built an acting career playing some of pop culture’s darkest figures — Satan, Adolf Hitler, Judas Iscariot — but his newest role puts him on the side of good. LeMaster voices Bumblebee in “Optimus Prime: Awakening,” a new animated short accompanying the 40th anniversary theatrical rerelease of “The Transformers: The Movie.”
LeMaster, a Christian actor, writer and former worship leader, told Fox News Digital that his path into villain roles began with a phone call asking him to play a Russian murderer in a sketch for the Christian satire outlet The Babylon Bee.
“We need a Russian murderer. You kind of look like that,” LeMaster recalled being told.
At the time, LeMaster assumed the satire company must be headquartered somewhere far-flung — “Idaho or Narnia,” he said — only to learn it was actually based in California, where he was already working full time at his local church.
That first villain role opened the door to many more. LeMaster has since played Satan, Hitler and Judas Iscariot on screen, a résumé he acknowledges is unusual for someone who still volunteers and leads worship at his church, though he tends to keep some of his acting work quiet there.
“Sometimes people are upset that I play ‘Woke Jesus.’ Sometimes people think that it’s weird that I played the devil. Sometimes people were offended that I would, you know, play Adolf Hitler,” LeMaster said. “The one that is not offensive is Bumblebee. People are very excited about that for some reason.”
LeMaster isn’t entirely sure why casting directors keep sending villain roles his way. “I don’t know why I always get cast as bad characters,” he said. “I think it’s probably just because I’m bald. … I blame the media. I blame [actor] Jason Statham.”
One Line He Won’t Cross
Despite his comfort playing murderers and dictators, LeMaster said there’s one thing he avoids on screen: kissing another woman.
“I don’t wanna kiss anybody, and, so, playing bad guys makes a lot of sense for me. They never kiss anybody, you know. They just murder them.”
He explained the distinction this way: “When you’re murdering somebody, you’re always pretending. When you’re kissing someone, you are always actually kissing them. And, so, you know, that’s my line. I don’t wanna cross that line.”
“Playing bad guys really works for my family,” he added. “And then my kids can look up to me as a great villain.”
Joining the Autobots
“Optimus Prime: Awakening” features LeMaster as Bumblebee alongside Frank Welker as Megatron and Soundwave, and the late Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime. The short accompanies a 40th anniversary theatrical rerelease that outperformed initial box-office expectations, leading to additional showings through Oct. 7.
LeMaster said he underestimated the project at first because director Josh Wassung is a friend. “I thought this was my friend’s little movie, this little Transformers movie that he was making for Hasbro,” he said.
Learning that Cullen was attached changed his perspective. LeMaster praised the longtime Optimus Prime voice actor for embodying “strength and gentleness and kindness” and “protecting the weak,” adding, “Who am I? Why do I get to play Bumblebee?”
He sees even a robot franchise as a chance to connect with his faith. “It’s an opportunity to sort of spread good news in the kingdom through, you know, robots,” LeMaster said.
Why He Loves Playing the Devil
Even with Bumblebee on his résumé now, LeMaster said Satan remains one of his favorite roles. “I love playing the devil because he is so much like me,” he said. “I know that sounds really weird.”
His Babylon Bee take on Satan leans into comedy rather than horror, portraying the devil as a beleaguered corporate HR director. “What if the devil was an HR director?” LeMaster said, before slipping into character: “You know, guys, it’s been a rough quarter. Make sure that you put cover letters on all the things you turn in, please.”
LeMaster said he approaches villains by looking for something good buried in their motivations, then imagining how it curdled. “There’s nothing that the devil can create in and of himself. He can only take what’s good, and he can twist it,” he said. “You always start with a good guy, and then you can twist it to something evil. That’s kind of what I think the best villains end up being like.”
