When it came time to study for her part in the Sonic The Hedgehog movie, nine-year-old Melody Nosipho Niemann had to get back to the basics: 鈥淏efore I got the part I used to play Minecraft, NomNoms and Pokeball,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was my dad who told me about Sonic. I thought it was cool and then I downloaded it: it was very fun!鈥�
The film, inspired by the early-1990s Sega videogame character, stars James Marsden as small-town sheriff Tom and Jim Carrey as the dastardly Dr. Robotnik. Melody plays JoJo, the niece of Tom and his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter) who鈥檚 surprised by her dad鈥檚 friendship with the world鈥檚 fastest-moving hedgehog (voiced by Parks and Recreation鈥檚 Ben Schwartz).
Sonic was shot in and around 麻豆传媒映画and scored big with $70 million on its opening weekend, the largest-ever for a video game adaptation. Box office is now well past the $200 million mark worldwide. With that kind of action, you would think the kids in Melody鈥檚 fourth-grade class would believe that she was in the movie. 鈥淲ell, some of the boys in my class don鈥檛 believe me,鈥� she says matter-of-factly from her West Van home, 鈥渂ut most of the girls believe that I鈥檓 an actor.鈥�
At school her favourite subject is 鈥済enius hour,鈥� when a small group picks a subject -- 鈥渓ike energy, continents and maps鈥� 鈥� to study. When the movie came out Valentine鈥檚 weekend, Melody saw it with her friends Erica and Malena. The verdict? 鈥淭hey liked it. Malena kept on calling me JoJo!鈥�
She describes her time on set as 鈥渓ike play time鈥� and, impressively, she can name everyone on her long list of co-stars. In serious-actor fashion, Melody won鈥檛 give away too many details about her part in the film: you鈥檝e got to go and see it. 鈥淚 just tell people that it鈥檚 really funny when Sonic shows up and that I do something special for Sonic,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very, very, very funny!鈥�
She insists that auditions never make her nervous, but that sometimes singing does. She got the jitters last year when she sang Leonard Cohen鈥檚 鈥淗allelujah鈥� in front of the entire school, coached by her dad. Her older brother sings, dad Juergen sings at church and mom Jabulile 鈥淢aju Maju鈥� Dladla sang with the Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir. Now 鈥渢hey sing in the shower!鈥� according to Melody.
The family moved from South Africa when Melody was two, and it was around that time she knew she wanted to act, she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 in a house and I鈥檓 watching a movie, and I said 鈥楳ama, Mama, I want to be on the TV鈥�!鈥� Commercials came first, then roles in Hallmark Original movies like Gingerbread Romance, Just Add Romance, and A Family Christmas Gift. She met best friend Payton Lepinski on the set of Spontaneous.
But the person she鈥檇 most like to work with is Arianna Grande. 鈥淪he鈥檚 so cool,鈥� says Melody. 鈥淚 would really like to be in a movie with her.鈥�
When she鈥檚 not working and going to auditions, Melody plays the violin and the piano and some recorder. At school they just learned 鈥淟et It Be鈥� on the ukulele, she says.听
That鈥檚 a lot for a nine-year-old to juggle. Does she ever get tired? The young actor recalls one of her scenes in the Sonic movie: 鈥淚 had to run and run and run around the room for 15 minutes,鈥� she enthuses. 鈥淕otta go fast!鈥�
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