How Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Jim Carrey Filmed Robotnik & Gerald's Scenes Together

Jim Carrey came out of retirement for the alluring feat of portraying both Ivo and Gerald Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Though the actor had previously claimed he would retire after the second installment, producer Toby Ascher and director Jeff Fowler convinced him to return with a heartfelt story and an acting challenge. His willingness and efforts then paid off, as Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s reviews have shown no shortage of praise for Carrey’s dual performance as grandfather and grandson.

Despite Robotnik seemingly falling to his death in the first sequel, Carrey makes an amazing comeback to the cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He not only reprises his role of the fun villain but also embodies the grief-stricken Gerald Robotnik, showcasing his talent for playing comedic and dramatic parts. Ivo and his grandfather’s striking differences effectively play off each other and crescendo to Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s epic ending — which becomes even more surprising when considering what Carrey’s filming process was like bringing Ivo and Gerald’s dynamic alive.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Used A Stand-In With Jim Carrey To Film The Dual Robotnik Scenes

Jim Carrey Never Acted As Multiple Characters That Interact Together Before Sonic 3

Jim Carrey has broken several career rules for the Sonic franchise, the latest being that he has now been a part of another sequel, even if he had decidedly tried to avoid it with his past movies. In playing Ivo and Gerald Robotnik, the seasoned actor took on yet a new acting challenge. Although this isn’t the first time that Carrey has had several roles in one film, he has never performed as multiple live-action characters that interact with each other.

The only other time that Carrey worked in a similar scenario was in A Christmas Carol, portraying Scrooge, Ghost of Christmas Past, and Christmas Present. However, the mechanics of voice acting make it easier for actors to embody several characters without needing a live reaction.

In a smart story change, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 introduces the 110-year-old Gerald Robotnik as the main antagonist and pairs him with his grandson, Ivo. For their scenes together, Carrey acted with a “wonderful” stand-in who performed both roles, depending on whom the starring actor portrayed that day. Carrey gave his fellow actor, Brendan Murphy, notes on how he would maybe play Ivo/Gerald when it was his turn, but, mostly, he relied on a voice recording of his performance from the day before that reminded him what he was supposed to react to.

What Jim Carrey Has Said About Filming Scenes With The Two Robotniks In Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Jim Carrey’s Commitment To Playing Two Characters Speaks To His Love For The Sonic Franchise

Speaking with Screen Rant, Jim Carrey responded to playing the Robotnik family. He said it was “a very technically difficult thing to do” — as he had to consider Ivo and Gerald’s differences, what their relationship was building towards, and also imagine his “disembodied voice” had a physical body to interact with. Though the famous actor was certainly shocked that “Acting these days, it’s a lot of imagination and a lot of pantomime,” he claimed he is “having a fantastic time” being part of the franchise, and loves the lore and the fans.

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Carrey was clearly excited about returning to Robotnik, and found a lot of inspiration in Eddie Murphy’s multiple roles in The Nutty Professor. However, he claimed he doesn’t know how Murphy acted in so many scenes with himself back then — considering he has benefited that it is now a standardized practice in the industry and there are more techniques in place to help actors achieve the task. Despite the difficulties of filming Gerald and Ivo’s scenes together, Carrey embraced his dual roles as a worthwhile and fulfilling challenge, offering one of the best things about Sonic the Hedgehog 3.