For their new show Eric, Netflix had to work hard to bring a giant puppet to life. The eponymous Eric refers to the monster living under the bed of a young boy named Edgar. When Edgar goes missing, his terrified and grieving father Vincent turns to Eric for support and guidance as he embarks on a harrowing journey to find the truth behind his son’s disappearance.

Protagonist Vincent is elegantly played by former Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch’s performance in Eric is getting positive reviews, with critics praising how the star navigates the challenging role in a jam-packed series. The Netflix show also continues Cumberbatch’s unbroken streak of positive reviews for his television shows, as the series currently holds a 67% Tomatometer and a 91% approval rate among audiences. In addition to refining the lead performance in this impactful drama, Netflix had to put a lot of effort into creating the monster at its fore.

Two Versions Of The Titular Puppet Were Designed For Netflix’s Eric

Eric Mimics Sesame Street-Type Characters

The Eric that appears on screen is covered in white fur and has a blue, gargoyle-like face. Though this is a stunning desire for the role, it was not the only idea that the Eric team had for the key main puppet. Netflix originally designed two versions of the main suit at the center of this costume, both of which were in the general style of the lifesized puppets that appear on children’s programming like Sesame Street.

The Eric eventually seen in the series has colors that mimic the New York cityscape that surrounds him, especially evidenced in his blue face and butter hair color. This makes the monster character integrated with the sense of place that defines much of Eric’s period aesthetic and when it takes place. The design for Eric was so intricate that anyone wearing the suit could not see out and had to get a visual of their surroundings through a first-person drone video cast through goggles. The Eric suit weighed over 40 pounds and needed multiple operators to control its various parts.

Benedict Cumberbatch Rehearsed Scenes With Puppeteer Olly Taylor

Eric Mimicked Vincent’s Actions in the Show’s Scenes

One of the most central aspects of Eric is the movement of the monster, and how Vincent interacts with this monster. The person wearing the suit for the majority of the Netflix series is Olly Taylor, who is an experienced puppeteer. Taylor controlled several of the key components of the puppet, including his body, face, and left arm. The external operators were employed in order to create the movement of the animatronic key, mouth, and right arm.

To make sure that this movement gelled with how Vincent moved as a character, Taylor and Cumberbatch rehearsed scenes together. Speaking with IBC, director Benedict Spence explained that each scene was rehearsed on set with the two actors. He went on to say that “Benedict [Cumberbatch] would perform the scene and Eric would mimic it.” It is this meticulous attention to movement that helped bring life to the final version of Eric.

How Benedict Cumberbatch Chose The Right Voice For Eric

Cumberbatch Voices the Monster Role Himself

Though it is Taylor that provides the puppeteering to bring Eric to life, it is Cumberbatch who provides the voice of the leading monster. In an interview with Digital Spy, Cumberbatch says that it was an “ongoing discovery” to find the proper voice to suit Eric. The actor’s original vision for the voice was to create something “augmented and a little more startling than a register that [he] can produce,” but the team did not think he should alter his voice to this degree to play the role.

Eventually, Cumberbatch and the team came to the agreement that the voice “had to come from something that was utterly linked with Vincent.” As a result of playing around with the voice, they settled on the “gruffness” and working-class New York lilt to the voice, as well as a “light and vulnerability” that kept the role fun. The shaping of Eric the puppet’s voice by Cumberbatch is ultimately a huge part of what gives this character depth in Eric, aiding the emotional weight of the heavy drama.

The creation of the Eric puppet and voice shows not only an attention to detail, but a real commitment on the part of the Eric team to make the monster well-connected with the place, time, and characters with which he interacts. Eric is no random monster, but one who is a visualization of his urban surroundings, and whose sound and movement come from the show’s main protagonist. These qualities help Eric build its drama from a more genuine place.

Sources: IBC and Digital Spy