Ben Schwartz On Sonic's Redesign, Voicing BB-8 And More

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We’ll take any excuse to talk with Ben Schwartz. The razor-sharp comedian has bene entertaining us for years, either as part of NBC’s Parks and Rec or his various improv projects, to his latest role of Sonic in the Paramount Pictures hit Sonic the Hedgehog. With that movie hitting digital and available to rent, ReelBlend asked Schwartz to hop on Skype for a quick chat.

It turned into a 90 minute conversation that spun all around Sonic, Star Wars, The Simpsons, Jean-Ralphio, fan influence on Hollywood properties, his voice-acting abilities and so much more.

You have to give this one a listen!

Sonic the Hedgehog ended up being a surprising win for Paramount. The movie was dogged by “controversy” early on because fans weren’t into the initial design of the lead character. Ben Schwartz talks to us about that redesign effort, and his opinion on the original look, and the updated look.

He also weighs in on collaborating with Jim Carrey, his reactions to the movie’s record-setting opening weekend, his love of video games, and more.

But we didn’t keep it to Sonic. Schwartz wouldn’t let us. He taught us a fun new game (which we played on the spot). He talked about his upcoming Netflix projects. And we all shared pop-culture stories from our time in the entertainment industry. This is exactly the type of interview that ReelBlend was meant to host. We hope that you enjoy it!

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Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.