After living a lonely life on Earth at the beginning of the first movie, Sonic eventually stumbled upon the Wachowski family. They took him in and gave him the life he always dreamed of having. He finally found his place. Along with the dreaded arrival of Shadow in Green Hills, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 is set to test that family dynamic more than ever before, and TIKA SUMPTER (Maddie Wachowski) is here to discuss that element with us…
STARBURST: What were your initial thoughts on doing a third Sonic the Hedgehog movie, and just how exciting is it to be part of such a great franchise?
It’s a joy to be part of this franchise, because not only did I grow up on Sonic, it’s exciting to be a part of a world that we’ve expanded so much. So when we got the call to tell me that we were doing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in London and beyond, I was thrilled! It’s exciting to be involved with it because of the fans as well; they’re probably the biggest reason as to why we’re so successful!
You also worked on the spin-off series Knuckles; how did that open up the creative process for Sonic the Hedgehog 3? Did it open the world up a bit more maybe?
Yeah! It did open up the world, because I feel like even my relationship with Knuckles is different than it is with Sonic and Tails. Knuckles is… a knucklehead! He doesn’t quite understand certain things, but I love him. He’s like a loveable character with a very strong personality. So I had to put my mum hat on a little bit more and try to give it to him straight. So yeah, the depth and the connection that Maddie has with all of the characters just expanded when they asked me to go and do the episode of Knuckles. I feel a deep connection with these characters. I feel very protective of them. I feel like they’re my own!
Maddie has put up with a lot: she got pushed off a roof in Sonic the Hedgehog, and she had her sister’s wedding ruined by Sonic in the sequel! However, she still remains calm overall. Can you elaborate on the evolution of Maddie and where we’ll find her in part 3?
Yeah, I think Maddie has grown in the sense of, first of all not understanding what Sonic was in the beginning, and being like “What are you doing? What’s happening? I need to help a hedgehog right now!” What I love about Maddie’s character is she’s evolved from being that person on the outside to really being inside of the family unit and the team. She’s down to go and stand up for all three of them at this point, and get her hands dirty a bit, really be a part of the plan. Like she’d say “Wait a second, let’s put our thinking caps on. Can we really execute this plan?” Or, “Guys sit down and stop messing up the house.” She can do two things, she’s amazing at home, but she’s also really cool when getting into the action. I love the duality of who she is. She’s a veterinarian really, that’s what she does, that’s what she went to school for, and she’s that in Green Hills. But she’s also part of this family unit of creatures that get into lots of trouble trying to save the world.
Yourself and James Marsden have captured a great back-and-forth over the two movies, is the chemistry similar off screen? What’s he like to work with?
I can’t say enough about James. I could say, “Meh, it was fine, it was okay”, or, “Yeah, no, it was cool.” But he was ‘so’ awesome to work with! Literally, with our relationship, as soon as we see each other, it just jumps back. We bicker with each other; we poke at each other. Who’s the Sonic or the Knuckles of the two? Who will get to lead, kind of thing. We just have a really good relationship with each other. We talk about everything, and we joke around a lot, and I think that comes off on-screen. Our bickering, our love, our heart. I just think that chemistry has shown because we just really ‘do’ get along.
Sonic goes from feeling alone in the first movie, to having a family by the second movie. So how fun was that progression to capture, and what do you think family means for Sonic in this third outing? Does it continue to shape the story?
I think we become like the parents who aren’t cool! And I do know how that feels in real life. With my eight-year-old, sometimes I’ll do a little dance, and she’s like “Stop, please!” I think Sonic has found his stride. He’s found his people. As parents we’re trying to figure out where we fit in anymore. We’ve got to do our own thing. So, I think Sonic feels like he’s got this, but his team isn’t so sure yet. So I think he’s figuring a lot of stuff out. He’s a cool kid. He’s happy, he has his siblings, as I like to call them, and so it’ll be fun to watch the world expand even more, in the sense of where they get to go, and what they get to do in this one.
When it comes to capturing scenes as an actress with Sonic, how has the technology evolved over the years with that? Has director Jeff Fowler changed that process much?
Jeff is amazing. I know this a really big film, but when I shoot with him, it almost feels like an indie movie when we’e there, because he makes everybody feel so included. Everybody is important; no matter what you do on that set everybody is important, and it feels that way. He doesn’t yell as a director. On set, I kept saying, “Do you hear that? It’s quiet! Nobody’s yelling at each other!” So with the progression of feeling like it was real, it went from a tennis ball to a 3D cutout of these characters. They made it feel real. But then it went to these amazing puppeteers, who had these huge heads of each character, their mouths moved, and they sounded like Sonic, and they sounded like Knuckles, and Tails, and Shadow, and so it felt even more real. So as every movie came, not only did you see the greatness on-screen, but because there were so many good technical situations happening behind the scenes, that made us feel even more real, you got much more out of what you saw. So, yeah, shout out to Jeff, and the whole production team for making it even better for us actors every time!
With these movies, they can jump from a comedic atmosphere to a serious moment quite easily, it’s very clever. What kind of tone and feel can fans expect from Sonic the Hedgehog 3?
You’re always going to get the heart and the humour. Sonic has cultural references, and that’s what makes it funny; there will be some things that’ll go over kids heads. Some people are older now, in the sense of how they grew with the franchise, so they’ll get some of the references. That’s where the goodness comes in on this film; it’s big and action-worthy, and it’s got adventure, but you have to have heart, and you have to have humour within it, it can’t just be one thing. That’s what makes it fun, and that’s what makes it for everybody. It’s ingredients that are perfectly formulated, to make this the success that it’s been!
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 zooms into cinemas on December 21st
