Minari is getting plenty of Oscar buzz, as A24 is working hard to make sure everyone gets a chance to see the film even if they’re not comfortable heading back to theaters. But Alan Kim, the 8-year-old star of the film, is worried about more highbrow cinematic endeavors.
In an interview with W Magazine that went viral earlier in the week, Kim described Sonic the Hedgehog as his favorite actor. That’s adorable for a few reasons, starting with the fact that the Sonic he’s talking about is the CGI version of a video game character that was created decades before he was born. Another reason it’s adorable: The rest of it.
Are you planning to stick with acting?
Yes.
Do you have a favorite actor?
I like Sonic the Hedgehog.
What about a favorite song?
“Sugar,” by Macaroon 5.
By Maroon 5?
Yeah.
Ben Schwartz, who voices Sonic in the movie, was definitely made aware of the situation, as he tweeted about it himself on Thursday. But he took it a step further on Friday, using his Sonic voice to send a personal message to Kim over the phone.
Update: Alan woke from his nap to a special surprise from Sonic himself. @rejectedjokes https://t.co/GxZM7IoIaX pic.twitter.com/yCO456MGIR
— A24 (@A24) February 26, 2021
According to A24’s Twitter account, Kim was woken up from a nap to get the good news from Schwartz’s Sonic.
“Hey Alan, Sonic the Hedgehog here. I wanted to say hi and also I found out that I was your favorite actor,” Schwartz said, which got a huge smile out of Kim.
“Sonic” then said he’s looking forward to seeing Minari, but first he had to catch Dr. Robotnik. He also dropped his “gotta go fast” catchphrase. Kim looked extremely satisfied by the message and even kind of danced at the end. It’s too bad Kim missed out on getting a message from Larry King as Sonic the Hedgehog but this is a pretty great consolation prize, all things considered. Hopefully, he gets serenaded by Maroon 5 next.
