Sonic the Hedgehog, as a franchise, could be set for a return to form with a live-action/CGI hybrid movie coming out next year. Only a few weeks ago, it was revealed that Ben Schwartz, of Parks and Recreation and Ducktales, had been cast as the titular speedster.
In a recent interview Schwartz was asked "If you had to live a day as one of your characters, which would you choose?” Schwartz was torn between Sonic the Hedgehog or Dewey from DuckTales. He weighed up his options, showing his familiarity with the iconic game series: “From Sonic, I can run just as fast as anybody. And I’m also a hedgehog, and I guess I love rings. So I’m very into that. It’d probably be Sonic. I can turn into a ball? What are you, crazy? I would love that."
Later the actor reminisced on auditioning for the role and finding out he'd gotten the part. The role was so important to Schwartz that he apparently put a lot of effort into getting the part, as he explains:
The process of me getting Sonic was a long one, a really long one. It started about a year ago. The director, Jeff (Fowler) called me, and he said, ‘You know, the role is yours.’ I did a Tiger Woods - like, fist pumps, and then looked around because I was out in the open, that one was a...I put in a lot of work to get that one. I really wanted it, so I was very, very excited.
Check out a clip of the interview in the tweet below:
Schwartz also spoke to Larry King about the film. As King hadn't heard of the famous runner, Schwartz explained, “As a kid, it’s like one of the most iconic video games of all time. I wasn’t good enough to (play) a human being. Just my voice.” At King's request that Schwartz preview his take on the character, Schwartz unfortunately had to say, “It’s very secret."
What do you think of Schwartz in the role of Sonic the Hedgehog? Are you looking forward to the film?