Jim Carrey as Ivo Robotnik and Gerald Robotnik, Shadow (Keanu Reeves), and Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.
Hollywood actor Idris Elba couldn’t help but sing praises for his co-stars Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves as they recently teamed up for “Sonic 3.”
In “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” Elba returns to the role of Knuckles, and Carrey, who recently stepped away from acting, reprised his role as Dr. Robotnik for the film’s third installment. Joining them anew is Reeves, who takes on the role of Shadow the Hedgehog.
In a copy of an interview recently sent to INQUIRER.net, Elba stressed that Carrey’s work in “Sonic 3” is a pure “masterpiece,” as the latter portrays two different characters, Robotnik himself and his grandfather.
“First of all, I’m a big Jim Carrey fan. Last time, I was excited that I could be in a movie with Jim Carrey. We even sent each other voice notes! He sent me a shout, and I sent him a shout back. That’s my guy. I love that guy. And in this film, he gets to play two characters… It’s going to be one of the funniest things people have seen. You are going to see a master at work. A masterwork. A mastermind. A masterpiece,” he said.
Elba then raved about Reeves, who was fresh from his work in “John Wick 4,” for the latter’s voice acting in “Sonic 3.”
“The Shadow character is a big icon in the whole Sonic universe, so finding an actor to embody that was important. And Keanu is a legend. We know Keanu for so many different types of roles, but whatever he does, he brings an icon status to it. It’s been fascinating to see him pull together Shadow. Shadow has this cool demeanor. He’s got a unique voice that is very different from Sonic’s. So it’s great that it’s Keanu bringing him to life. I’ve always wanted to work with Keanu, and this is our first time acting together,” he stated.
When asked why he thinks “Sonic” has a universal appeal, Elba underscored that it’s due to its “escapism” charm.
“The Sonic world is pure escapism. Like, ‘Wait a second. Sonic the Hedgehog? Hedgehogs don’t move fast. He’s blue? Hold on, what…?’ It’s pure imagination. The imagination of the game, the world, the characters. It doesn’t matter what age you are. Generationally, we’ve all grown up with some version of Sonic. Whether it was a movie, TV show, or game. I played the game when I was a kid, so I was honoured to be part of this,” he explained.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” has now earned more than $200 million in the domestic box office, becoming the second video game adaptation to hit the mark, trailing behind “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”