Lee Majdoub, Sonic’s breakout star, talks ‘shipping’ and diversity in the country’s biggest movie
It’s wild that even the character i thought would be pointless ended up being not only important, but a lot of fun to watch https://t.co/vN9ay2vpXi
- Gene Park (@GenePark) February 21, 2020
Lee Majdoub said that his character Agent Stone was initially supposed to be an exposition tool for Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik to talk to, but “through chatting with Jim and developing a rapport with him, we turned their relationship into something more fun and personal. 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."
On Stone's relationship with Robotnik, who fans have started shipping together, “It’s definitely admiration. 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 okay.'”
As a Lebanon-born Canadian citizen, Majdoub said he is lucky to be with an agent who avoids stereotypical roles for Middle Eastern men. “I have friends who have that struggle, having made decisions and feeling they can’t get out of it. 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 also praised the diversity in "Sonic," with how the script doesn't call any attention to the marriage between James Marsden and Tika Sumpter's characters being interracial. “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. 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.”
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