Sonic the Hedgehog 2: James Marsden on Acting Opposite a CGI Character

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, James Marsden reprises his role as Tom Wachowski, the sheriff of Green Hills. In the first movie, Tom and Sonic become close friends (though not best friends, as Tom's dog outranks Sonic). In the films, Sonic is voiced by Ben Schwartz, and Marsden has to act alongside a CGI character, which has to present some difficulties for an actor! In an interview with ComicBook.com's Chris Killian, Marsden talked about whether or not this stifled his ability to improvise.

"Yeah, we have those opportunities to kind of play with it a bit. But like the script was so perfect when we came into it. You go in, and you get what's scripted on the page," said Marsden. Marsden went on to reveal that Sonic had a stand-in in the movie, who would read Schwartz's lines with him. The actor also states that director Jeff Fowler and the producers were supportive when it came to improvising.

"As long as we find something that feels fresh and fun, they're really open to it and they trust us that we're not gonna be some improv artists who come up with bad ideas. There's a loose sort of fun feel on the set."

Of course, it's worth noting that Marsden has a history of working with CGI characters, previously appearing in Hop in 2011, and then Sonic the Hedgehog in 2020. At this point, Marsden seems like a pro at dealing with CGI characters, but it's interesting to get a glimpse at the impact that has on his ability to act. It remains to be seen how audiences will feel about the finished product, and whether or not the best jokes made it into the film, but with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 set to arrive in theaters on April 8th, fans won't have to wait too much longer to find out! Until then, readers can check out all of our previous coverage of the film right here.

Are you looking forward to Sonic the Hedgehog 2? Do you think acting alongside a CGI character would present some challenges? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!