Idris Elba Reveals His Original Idea For Knuckles In Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Actor Idris Elba had a bit of trouble finding Knuckles’s voice for Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Movie.
In an interview with the New York Times, Elba opened up about the process behind finding his voice for the beloved echidna, who takes on a villainous role in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
“I actually wanted to try to play [Knuckles] with a squeaky voice,” Elba said. “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.”
Elba, best known for his roles in The Wire and Luther, referred to himself as “one hundred percent” a gamer and discussed his excitement to star in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in the interview. As Elba noted, he grew up with a Sega Genesis, so the Sonic franchise is right up his alley. He’s also excited to share the movie with his 7-year-old son, who hasn’t been able to watch much of Elba’s R-rated filmography.
In our review of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, we praised Elba’s performance, writing, “He brings a certain gravitas to the role, but also gets some of the funniest lines in the movie as the hilariously self-serious echidna.”
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is in theaters now, and this movie certainly isn’t the end for the acclaimed series. In line with Sega’s plans to form a Sonic Cinematic Universe, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is already in the works alongside a Knuckles-focused spin-off, both of which Elba (without his squeaky voice) will return for.
Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN.
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