Voice actress Colleen O’Shaughnessey spoke to ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese about reprising her role as Tails in the Sonic the Hedgehog movies following roles on TV shows and video games. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now available on digital and will arrive on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, and DVD on April 15, 2025. The 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Combo will also be available in two collectible SteelBooks while supplies last.
“Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails are back for their most epic adventure yet. The team reunites to face a new formidable foe, Shadow, a mysterious hedgehog with powers unlike anything they’ve ever seen. Team Sonic must secure an unexpected alliance if they hope to stop Shadow and save the planet. Keanu Reeves joins the all-star cast as Shadow the Hedgehog,” says the synopsis.
Tyler Treese: You’ve had such an exciting journey here. You were voicing Tails in the video games before the movie started. When you found out that they wanted you to reprise that role, what did that mean to you? Because now you’ve been on this great adventure of doing these three huge live-action movie hits as well.
Colleen O’Shaughnessey: I mean, it meant the world to me. I couldn’t believe it. I still kind of can’t. I just feel so lucky. I’m so honored. It’s been such a joyous adventure, and there the words have not been invented yet of what this feels like, but it is truly, truly phenomenal.
I was curious how that transition has been, because you work with so many great, talented voice actors, but it has to be wild to see your character on screen interacting with Idris Elba and now Keanu Reeves. That just seems crazy.
It does seem crazy. I am often just asking my husband, “What is happening?” It’s amazing. Both movies, I cried when I watched it for the first time. It’s just such an epic scale, you know? So it’s just been joyous.
Tails is part of some really great laughs in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. had to get your reaction to the Detective Pikachu line
My favorite.
Both times I saw that in theaters, fans were just all going crazy for it.
It cracked me up. I loved it. He just could not have done it better with “Pika Pika.” That’s like my favorite. That’s the first thing I said to him when I saw him. I’m like, “Pika Pika.” It was so fantastic. I laughed out loud. So funny.
The writers have always really gone for it in these live-action movies. Are you ever surprised at what they’re asking you to say at this point or do you expect the unexpected with them?
A hundred percent expect the unexpected. They’re so brilliant. They know what they’re doing. I fully trust. There’s no questioning of anything ever.
The Tails storyline in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a really great lesson about teamwork and leadership since Sonic really gets ahead of himself trying to solve this problem with Shadow. He realizes it takes a full team to work together. What did you like most about Tails’ role?
I like that he’s so much more confident. He’s really come into his own. He is a part of the team. He’s part of a family too. I think that’s really meaningful to him, and I think that’s what helps bolster his confidence. He’s got really cool gadgets. He’s like the man behind the curtain that’s helping everybody do their part. He’s almost like team leader in that one little sequence where he is helping everybody get to where they need to go, and he swoops in and saves them. He flies the plane, he flies his butt-copter. Yeah, he’s really part of the team.
I wanted to get your thoughts on Ben Schwartz’s performance because he’s able to give this great energy to Sonic, especially in the moments with Tails. The small moments, they really feel like great friends. What registers the most from his performance when you’re watching these movies?
He is like this exuberant kid, you know? He’s got all the energy. But I feel like that’s him in real life, though. What he managed to do through all the press stuff and the premiere, he’s like nonstop, but he’s also so dear. I think he really brings so much of that to Sonic. He’s genuine, and he feels things, but he’s also a goofy kid. He’s got this great wonderful juxtaposition of those two seemingly diverse characteristics. They don’t necessarily always go together. Someone that feels deeply but is also off-the-wall energy cuckoo. So he just marries those two so beautifully.
These are such unique films because they are live-action, but most of the main characters are CGI. It’s a very odd mix, but it all works. Have you ever gotten to visit the set during the production of these movies?
No, I would love to. I think that would be amazing. But, no, they do all the live-action stuff first, and then they record us after.
Fingers crossed on the fourth one. Maybe we’ll get to see you on set.
That would be so cool. I would really love that. That would be just tremendous.
Recently, and you appeared in it, we had the Knuckles spin-off on Paramount+, which was so much fun. When is it gonna be Tails’ time to shine? Would you like to see a Tails show be made at one point?
That is such a great question, and I would love it. When indeed. I don’t know. Of course, if they asked, are you kidding? Absolutely. But yeah, I don’t know, but that would be great. I would love it.
Beyond the games and movies, you get to do a lot of cool side stuff as Tails, like the TailsTube on YouTube. Those videos are so much fun. What do you like most about getting to explore these different facets of Tails in all these different mediums?
Well, I love it. TailsTube especially. I was gonna say because it explains more of the universe to people who maybe aren’t as familiar with the games. So it’s almost like they’re tutorials for this new generation of Sonic fans who are watching the movies. They’re like, “Oh, now they’re gonna learn about the different islands and the planets and all the stuff that goes on.” They do it in such a not-so-professorial kind of way. They do it in a fun way, of course, ’cause it’s Sonic. But those are so much fun, so, so much fun, and they always so creative and brilliant.
I grew up playing Sonic on the Genesis as a kid and Tails’ full name is Miles Prower, and I never got that joke of “miles per hour” for many years. Were you always aware of it?
Okay, so full disclosure: I didn’t realize he had a first and last name until I was working on Sonic Boom, and we had already done a game, and I went to this huge Sonic event in New York. They brought the Sonic Boom cast, and we were signing things and whatever, and I was, like, overwhelmed. I had no idea [how big the] Sonic fandom was. I was like, “Wow.”
Then somebody had this encyclopedia of Sonic and they opened to the Tails page, and I’m like, “Miles Prower. That’s hilarious.” So I got it right away. Once I knew that he had a name, I went to the director, I’m like, “How do you let me work on this for this long, and no one tells me he has a first and last name?” I just, I didn’t know. I thought it was just Tails. But luckily, I learned it earlier on.
But yeah, it’s funny. Apparently, it was news to Ben. He learned that one like a month or so ago. He called me, he’s like, “Did you know this?” I’m like, I did. I did know this. He’s like, “Why didn’t I know?” I’m like, “Nah, I’m sorry.”
