Julien Bam in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”: “Stuttering” encounter with idol Jim Carrey

For Julien Bam (36), Sonic is a formative part of his childhood. In “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”, which opens in German cinemas on December 25th, the YouTube star lends his voice to the nimble hedgehog for the third time. “It is still a great honor for me to voice Sonic,” he emphasizes in an interview with the news agency spot on news. Working as a voice actor on three “Sonic” films has also brought him closer to another of his childhood heroes. In the conversation, Julien Bam also reveals what future plans he has on YouTube and beyond.

Julien Bam: That actually subsided a lot with the second film, or even with the first reviews of the first film. By the third time I was definitely more confident. Sonic isn’t a role we wrote. I also make short films myself with my team. Of course, with Sonic you really want to deliver, because he is a part of many people’s childhoods, as well as mine. You want to please a lot of people. But now I’m definitely getting on board very quickly when it comes to becoming Sonic.

Julien Bam: Yes, yes. So the films are also a clear reinterpretation. There are definitely a lot more references to the games in the new film, which I think will be really cool for the fans. But the films are also in a great class of their own. I like to think that just as Sonic was a piece of childhood for me back then on the Sega Mega Drive, maybe the films will now be a piece of their childhood for some kids – and that’s just a really nice feeling.

Julien Bam: In general, it’s still a great honor for me to voice Sonic, just because I grew up with him too. I was allowed to “get to know” Jim Carrey, which means I met him briefly. Even three times that day. That was at the premiere in Berlin in 2020. Back then, my biggest challenge was not to stand in front of him stuttering and plot twist: I ended up standing in front of him stuttering because he is also a childhood hero for me. I also have a nice photo of him hanging on my wall. I still think it’s crazy to have seen him live.

Now comes a new character, Shadow, who you’ll know if you grew up with Sonic. It is originally spoken by Keanu Reeves, which I also find so blatant. The universe is getting bigger and it’s just so beautiful to see how the whole thing grows.

Julien Bam: I think my passion will always remain in the field of storytelling. It doesn’t just have to be a film. You can also tell stories with pictures or text. That’s definitely one thing that will always be kind of the essence of my life. My best friend and colleague Joon Kim and I are releasing our own show “The Way Out” on Amazon Prime next year! We moderate the whole thing together and have super exciting candidates that you can look forward to. Filming was really a lot of fun and a completely new experience for both of us.

Julien Bam: The main channel will definitely be shut down. There will be nothing more. It’s just time for something new. But I also have two other YouTube channels where I’ll always try out new things, have fun, but won’t take on too big of a project anymore. The main video series has been going on for three years now. Although we actually wanted to have it finished in six months, it has now become very long.

I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know what’s coming next year. I need to reorient myself.” I’m also looking forward to the time when I’ll sit on the sofa for maybe two months and just don’t know what to do. I think it’s super important that you get a lot of input and not just output. That’s what I feel like I’ve been doing for the last twelve years. I only gave creativity and got too little. You also have to travel sometimes, watch films, series, read books, just to get more input. I definitely want to focus more on that in order to continue to grow.

Julien Bam: My Christmas plans are the same every year. I officially meet my family there and we eat together and watch films.

Julien Bam: I don’t think there is. We never watch a movie at Christmas again. We only watch films again if they are good. But my brother is the biggest film lover. He always brings something new.