Ben Schwartz reveals one hilariousParks & Recreference that was cut fromSonic the Hedgehog 2. Before voicing Hollywood’s take on the video game world’s most famous ring-collecting hedgehog,Schwartz gained small-screen fame portraying spoiled rich kid Jean-Ralphio Saperstein. TheParks & Reccharacterinspired laughs and cringes in equal measure, but later was surpassed in obnoxiousness by his sister Mona-Lisa, played by Jenny Slate.
Schwartz has now revealed thatParks & Rec’s most insufferable siblings almost got an homage in his smash hitSonic 2, explaining thattheir iconic “Don’t be suspicious” scene was set to be referenced in the movie, until the joke was cut out by director Jeff Fowler. Schwartz goes on to jokingly lament the director’s penchant for cutting out the best jokes and keeping the worst (via@rejectedjokes/X):
“He kept in the wooooorst. So I don’t think there are any legal reasons. We almost got a don’t be suspicious in 2. But it got cut.”
What This Means For Schwartz, Sonic And Parks & Rec
The Beloved Sitcom Received A Different Shout-Out In Sonic 2
The joke cut fromSonic 2referred to a scene inParks & Recseason 7, episode 12“One Last Ride (Part 1),” in which Jean-Ralphio joins Mona-Lisa in a scheme to fake his death and make off with the insurance money, only to blow the whole thing by showing up to spy on his own fake funeral.The scene reaches a hilarious crescendo as the clueless siblings make up a silly song-and-dance around the line “Don’t be suspicious,” and are chased away from the cemetery.
Schwartz and Slate improvised their “Don’t be suspicious” dance, inspiring a popular TikTok meme in the process
Schwartz may have failed to sneak that particularParks & Recreference into his $405-million smash hit, but he did succeed in slipping in another famous Jean-Ralphio line, as the star explained toEWback in 2022:
There’s this scene where Sonic and the dog are watching a movie, and he’s talking about it. So I did like a hundred alternate takes for all these different movies that we were trying to get the rights to, and we weren’t quite sure what was gonna be there. But then Jeff Fowler and Toby Ascher suggested, what if we just did Jean-Ralphio’s “the wooorst”? Which means that Jean-Ralphio is canon in the Sonic universe, which is very exciting for me. His taste is mostly ’90s, and then Parks and Recreation.
That joke in honor of another famed Jean-Ralphio line made for a greatParks & RecEaster egg, but it sounds like Schwartz wishes his proposed “Don’t be suspicious” reference had made it in as well. In his tweet, he jokingly takes aim at hisSonicdirector for a questionable sense of humor, accusing him of keeping the “worst” references.
Our Take On Sonic 2’s Cut Parks & Rec Reference
There’s No Such Thing As Too Many Parks & Rec Easter Eggs
Schwartz may be a video game movie icon thanks to hisvoice performance as Sonic, but he still remembers his classic sitcom roots, and tries to shout outParks & Recany time he can. Getting one Jean-Ralphio reference intoSonic the Hedgehog 2was indeed a triumph,but getting one in for both Saperstein siblings would have been truly spectacular. Perhaps a futureSonicmovie will have room for “Don’t be suspicious” to be immortalized in Easter egg form.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Cast
The iconic blue hedgehog is back in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, eager to prove himself as a hero. And when Dr. Robotnik escapes his prison, it seems he’ll have his chance. This film introduces viewers to beloved characters Tails and Knuckles, in another mad dash for adventure.
