Boy Kills World’s Narrator Voice Is Super Jarring Thanks To Hit Animated Series

Boy Kills World uses one of the most recognizable voices in animated comedy, especially for fans of a certain Fox sitcom. 2024 has been a busy year for the Skarsgård family, with Stellan and his sons Alexander and Bill all having high-profile projects. Bill is arguably the busiest of the bunch, with the actor fronting the upcoming remake of The Crow. Skarsgård has made his name playing either villains or creeps, with his most recognizable roles including Pennywise the Dancing Clown in IT: Chapters One and Two, or Marquis de Gramont in John Wick: Chapter 4.

With The Crow remake and his lead role in Boy Kills World, Skarsgård is seeking to reinvent himself as a hunky action hero. Time will tell how audiences take to this transformation, while Boy Kills World’s ending sets up a potential sequel in case the film is a hit. In addition to Skarsgård’s physical transformation, another element that makes his work in the film unique is that he is mute throughout.

Bob’s Burgers Star H. Jon Benjamin Is The Voice Of Boy Kills World

Benjamin can also be heard as Archer’s title character

The movie’s backstory involves Skarsgård’s Boy being rendered mute and deaf during an attack that also killed his family; when he grows up, he trains himself for bloody revenge. When the character is mute, Skarsgård’s Boy has an internal voice in Boys Kills World, provided by none other than H. Jon Benjamin. Best known for Bob’s Burgers and Archer, Benjamin is famed for his deep, monotone voice, which has also been featured in Wet Hot American Summer – where he plays a talking can of vegetables – and guest appearances in Family Guy and The Simpsons.

Boy adopts H. Jon Benjamin’s voice from his favorite video game, which was one of the last things he recalls hearing. Naturally, contrasting the vicious, gory mayhem of the movie with Benjamin’s instantly recognizable deadpan delivery gives Boy Kills World its biggest laughs. It is also a voice that just doesn’t suit the visual of a scowling, musclebound Bill Skarsgård in any way, shape or form, which is a comic device the filmmakers have fun with.

Boy Kills World Needed More Comedy To Better Utilize H. Jon Benjamin

Bill Skarsgård voiced his own character in an earlier cut of Boy Kills World

Speaking with The AV Club, Boy Kills World director Mortiz Mohr revealed there was a version that featured Skarsgård voicing Boy’s inner monologues. The filmmaker claims the actor did a typically great job, but after assessing his dramatic and emotional work, he opted to have Benjamin do Boy’s Inner Voice, since “Jon’s funnier.” It’s a hard logic to fault, but it also highlights that the film should have pushed the comedy harder.

Boy Meets World obviously has its tongue in cheek and features hammy supporting turns from co-stars like Sharlto Copley, but it’s H. Jon Benjamin’s voiceover still provides most of the humor. The movie treats the actual revenge quest somewhat seriously and puts the action sequences at the forefront. The setpieces themselves are enjoyably visceral and crunchy, but considering the film brought Benjamin on board late in the process, it’s a shame it didn’t push the laughs even further too.

Source: The AV Club