When
Idris Elba takes on a new role he usually has some
degree of reality on which to base his performance.
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That was not the case with his latest character, a
surly red cartoon echidna named Knuckles.
As Elba explained in a video interview on April 8,
“I’ve never met any short, fluffy guys with big fists. I’m sorry, that’s not my
experience. Maybe you have, but I haven’t.”
To a generation of gamers, Knuckles is best known as
the rival of Sonic the Hedgehog, the high-velocity star of the long-running
Sega franchise.
The hit 2020 film based on the game, with
Ben Schwartz voicing Sonic and
Jim Carrey as his human nemesis, Dr Robotnik,
successfully translated the video game series into a movie franchise that
blended live action with animation.
A sequel, “
Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” which Paramount
released Friday, brings back the characters and conflicts while adding more
familiar faces from the games, including Knuckles, a powerful fighter with unlikely
physical proportions and a particular grudge against the hero.
Elba, who boasts an expansive film résumé, said that
getting to play Knuckles was “mind-boggling”, partly because Elba, 49, is a
dedicated fan of video games, and partly because he (like the author of this
article) is the father of a 7-year-old son and was eager to make some movies
they could share as a family.
As Elba explained, “You and I remember those first
early games, and now here we are. Our sons are like, ‘Wow, I can see “Sonic 2”
with my dad.’ That’s special”.
Elba spoke further about his history as a gamer and
the range of inspirations for Knuckles, including the actor’s own parents.
These are edited excerpts from that conversation.
Were
you a gamer before you made this film?
One hundred percent. I
literally have my Switch in my bag. When I started off, I had a Commodore 64 (a
1980s home computer). Dude, that’s how far it goes back for me. And then when I
could afford one, I had a Sega Genesis. And I’ve pretty much had every single
console since then. I’m a grown man now, but I still play FIFA and driving
games.
What
did you and the director Jeff Fowler discuss about Knuckles in your first
meeting?
We did try out some voices
to figure out what he might sound like. He looks sort of menacing —
(exaggeratedly flexes arms) rarrrr. I actually wanted to try to play him with a
squeaky voice. I thought that might be funny. But they didn’t think that was
funny, and that idea got nixed immediately. But we did try different voices,
cadences, accents. Knuckles isn’t a big talker, but when he does speak, he’s
very blunt.
It
felt like you had a specific idea for where Knuckles came from and how you
wanted him to sound. How would you explain it?
The first thing that we
observed was, he comes from an ancient world; he’s a warrior from his tribe,
and English is not their first language. He doesn’t have a sense of humor in
the same way Sonic does. He’s very dry and matter-of-fact, and he uses English
just to get his point across and move on. He hasn’t got time for niceties. We
used that construct as a way to start to develop what he sounds like.
Paramount
has been candid that they would like to do even more with Knuckles, including
another “Sonic” movie and his own TV series. Was that part of the appeal for
you?
It is now. Honestly, when I
got it, I didn’t even know that would be on the table. I thought I was just
doing one movie. But now, the fact that I can probably get to play more
Knuckles and maybe even spin off into his own world is great.
Would
it surprise you if, many years from now, the roles you are best known for are,
say, Stringer Bell, Nelson Mandela, and Knuckles?
I think for any actor, the
dream is to be able to play different roles and not be pigeonholed, and I feel
like I’ve been lucky to have that as a career. But it is interesting. I was on
a radio show, and they were like, (booming radio announcer voice) “He’s played
Luther. He’s done ‘Beasts of No Nation.’ And now: He’s Knuckles.” It’s like,
uh, maybe you could say he’s played a seal in “
Finding Dory” and a buffalo in
“
Zootopia.” He’s played a cat. And now he’s Knuckles. That lineup seems a bit
more apt. To go from Nelson Mandela to Knuckles is a bit of a reach.
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