Sidekick to main attraction
Sonic the Hedgehog’s breakout star talks diversity in surprise hit movie
Sonic’s villain never needed a sidekick. Dr. Ivo (Eggman) Robotnik had robots, but it was always a solo gig.
Turns out, Robotnik needed Stone, Lebanese actor Lee Majdoub’s assistant character in the recently released Sonic the Hedgehog movie, more than any of us realized — and so do we. So much so, movie fans are now hoping that this hopelessly earnest and thirsty character shows up in a sequel.
Majdoub’s character was initially supposed to be an exposition tool, “to give someone for Robotnik to talk to,” Majdoub says. But as Jim Carrey, who plays Robotnik, improvised, developing his villain into a lonely, Ivy League-educated misanthropic mad doctor, Majdoub made Stone into something of a doting pupil, desperate for attention from his mentor.
“Through chatting with Jim and developing a rapport with him, we turned their relationship into something more fun and personal,” says Majdoub. “Even Jim said at one point that there’s got to be something about Stone. If Robotnik hates humanity so much, why is it this one guy that sticks around? Stone was always reliable, always there for him, and knew what he was going to do before he did it.”
The central theme of Sonic the Hedgehog is how men deal with loneliness. Sonic wanted friends, and had none. Robotnik wanted no friends, but had Stone. Their relationship bordered on abusive (by way of slapstick physical comedy).
Now, Stone is developing his own audience of admirers, inspiring fan art that reimagines him as a classic Sonic villain, and notably, art that “ships” a loving relationship between the two villains.
“It’s definitely admiration,” says Majdoub, laughing, recalling the art. “I think more than anything, Stone just wants attention from Robotnik, and wants to mean something to him. There are elements of their relationship he’ll go through that typically someone won’t go through just to get that. He probably sees, ‘Wow this guy stresses out a lot. Maybe I can make him a latte to ease him up and it’ll all be OK.’”
Majdoub’s character was just another surprise in a film full of them. The movie was mocked last year for a disastrous first impression of the Sonic design. Yet against all odds (and lots of extra work), Sonic the Hedgehog is now Hollywood’s No. 1 film of the moment, and it’s got a chance to stay that way for a third straight weekend.
Diversity in Hollywood has been a big part of the discourse surrounding filmmaking these days, and Sonic the Hedgehog has a diverse cast without ever calling attention to it. James Marsden and Tika Sumpter portray characters in an interracial marriage that simply exists, which the script doesn’t call any attention to, even with its jokes. Majdoub, a Lebanon-born Canadian, calls it refreshing.
“I love it when a production or project doesn’t feel like we have to be like, ‘Hey look at us, we casted diversity. Yay us,’” Majdoub says. “It just was. It’s a family movie that just has representation. And the fact that we don’t have to hit you over the head with it is refreshing.”
Majdoub says he’s lucky to be with an agent that avoided stereotypical roles for Middle Eastern men. For him, it was about the long game, and not being typecast.
“I have friends who have that struggle, having made decisions and feeling they can’t get out of it,” Majdoub says. “I think as an industry, we’re going in the right direction. Could it be better? Of course. Could we be moving faster? Yes. I’ve just been really fortunate.”
Majdoub felt moved by how positive everyone on the project was, despite the shock and controversy following the release of the first trailer, which caused such a public outcry that director Jeff Fowler and Paramount Pictures delayed release of the film to rework the main character’s design.
“It was more a shock to see how many people were speaking out, and how much engagement there was,” says Majdoub. “It was realizing how important of a character this was to people. So many people wanted their voices heard, and to see Jeff and that team not miss a beat, to come out and listen, was amazing. It’s a big struggle these days, wanting to be heard, and it’s lovely to see what happens when it’s done right.” The Washington Post