Tika Sumpter Explains How She Survived On ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Set With Jim Carrey & James Marsden

Tika Sumpter chatted with uInterview about what it was like to work on Sonic The Hedgehog alongside Jim Carrey and James Marsden.

Sumpter plays Maddie Wachowski, a veterinarian and the wife of Marsden’s character, the town’s sheriff, Tom Wachowski. In the movie, they help Sonic, voiced by Ben Schwartz, evade Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik, played by Carrey, who wants to harness Sonic’s speed in order to help him take over the world.

Sumpter reminisced about acting with Marsden: “James is a really smart actor, but he’s hilarious. I think I laughed most of the time, and it didn’t feel like work. We literally laughed the whole time we were together on set.”

Carrey was more serious about his role, according to Sumpter. “He pays attention to everything about his character, so you just take hints from that,” she said.

Although he didn’t give her any direct notes, Sumpter said Carrey “informed” her ability to play her role. “Jim was everything you would think a superstar is, except without the bad attitude. And he was so welcoming and so friendly. He felt like home, especially because we grew up with him,” she said.

Sumpter, who stars in the sitcom Mixed-ish, said that working with a cut-out Sonic stand-in was “different.”

“You gotta really use your imagination, and bravo to Jeff Fowler the director because when I saw the end result, I’m like ‘Oh my gosh! It feels so real, like we’re talking to sonic!'” she said.

Sonic The Hedgehog was released nationwide on February 14.