Sonic the Hedgehog proved to be a box office hit, despite the public’s mixed relationship with big-screen, video game adaptations. There are a few elements that can be attributed to the film’s success, but many would argue that its biggest draw is Jim Carrey, who played the comedically villainous Dr. Robotnik.
Jim Carrey was a vital addition for a film that audiences had low expectations for and, in the end, it worked out in Paramount’s favor. Ben Schwartz, the actor behind the furry, blue speedster, is well aware of how important it was for Sonic the Hedgehog to have Carrey, and he could only sing his praises when he spoke with our own ReelBlend podcast. You can listen to the conversation down below:
During the chat, Ben Schwartz stressed just how lucky he and the rest of the cast and crew were to have Jim Carrey sign on for Sonic the Hedgehog. What made things even better was that Carrey had resolved to lean into his classic brand of comedy for the role:
I think we just got lucky that Jim Carrey happened to decide he just wanted to do this movie. Because Jim Carrey being [in] just legitimizes the whole thing. And then also he’s just like, ‘I’m gonna do comedy, the type of comedy that you’ve seen me do back in the day, I’m gonna do that again.’ He can do everything and he’s like, ‘I’m gonna choose this.’
Because Schwartz’s voicework wasn’t performed until post-production, he was unable to actually watch Jim Carrey work on set. So he was more than excited when he finally got to watch Carrey’s performance in its entirety in the cinema:
I mean when I watched it for the first time I literally went to – we were in a small theater with just like three or four people – and I was like, ‘Oh my god,’ because I wasn’t on set. So, the first time that I saw Jim Carrey stuff was when I was getting screened and I was like, ‘Oh my god, we are so lucky. He just decided this is the movie he’s gonna do this again in.’
What’s most exciting to Ben Schwartz, however, is the prospect of Sonic the Hedgehog introducing a new generation of moviegoers to Jim Carrey:
We’ll go to screenings and they’ll ask Q&A’s when they tested the movie at the beginning, like, do you know who Jim Carrey is? They’re like, ‘No, who is he?’ I was like, this is crazy because it’s a whole different generation of kids who haven’t seen Ace Ventura, The Mask or stuff like that. So we got very, very lucky.
It’s hard not to marvel at the work of someone like Jim Carrey, as a filmography like his is pretty hard to top. Robotnik only adds to the colorful array of roles he’s played, and the actor had more than a few memorable moments as the mad genius. I mean how do you top that dance sequence?
Sonic the Hedgehog is now available on Digital HD and will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on May 19.
