While Sarah Natochenny stopped voicing the beloved Pokémon protagonist Ash Ketchum in 2023, the actor still maintains a strong connection with Pokémon fans around the world through conventions, including Toronto’s Fan Expo Canada (Aug. 27 to Aug. 30). As Pokémon is still so strong, proving a longevity rarely seen in entertainment, Natochenny feels “honoured” that she’s part of the franchise.
“I don’t have the same interaction twice [at conventions], honestly. I try to match everybody’s energy and give back what they’re giving me, and if they have a wonderful story about how Pokémon affected their lives, that genuinely touches me every single time. And it makes me feel really good about the work I did for 20 years,” Natochenny told Yahoo Canada.
“It’s such an honour to be a part of something that stands the test of time like that. … This has such a broad audience, and that I was able to do something that is so broadly accepted is the biggest surprise to me as an actor. … I was this weird, quirky niche person, and then I got to play this protagonist that was heard around the world, and that was the biggest surprise to me, and such a great honour.”
While Ash has made a significant impact on multiple generations of fans, voicing the character also allowed Natochenny to discover herself.
“Ash is so adventurous. He’s so tenacious. He never gives up. Even if he doesn’t win, he keeps going. He’s really sweet to his friends. So those are all lessons that I think are universal and have definitely affected me in my life,” Natochenny shared.
“My 20s were weird and tough, … and I think playing Ash and playing other protagonists that I got to play showed me that there’s got to be something deep in my soul, an essence, that is not depression, is not sitting at home and staying away from people, and I was right. And the conventions really helped, actually, physically bring that out of me and force me to go interact with strangers every single day.”
‘We should have the right of first refusal on those jobs’
Earlier this year, during a panel at Fan Expo Denver, Matthew Lillard, who’s had a long career in both voice acting and live action, called out a Hollywood trend of studios specifically seeking out A-list celebrities for voice acting roles, rather than going to actors who specialize in the craft.
“I want to say that I think Hollywood has made a huge mistake by hiring actors that are not able to carry a part with [their] voice,” Lillard said during the panel “As an actor, you have full function, your face, your body, you have all these things that you can play on when you’re on the screen, but a voice actor has only their voice to work.”
“The ability to carry a film, as the lead of a film with only a voice, is a power very few people have. And the idea that they keep hiring crappy celebrities to carry huge films is killing us.”
When asked about Lillard’s comment, Natochenny shares his belief that voice actors should be sought after for these roles, as highly trained, skilled talents, citing the recent movie hit Project Hail Mary as an example.
“They hired James Ortiz, who is a voice actor and a puppeteer, [to play Rocky], and I don’t know about you, but I’m saying ‘Amaze, amaze, amaze,’ like every day of my life. So the fact that wasn’t a celebrity, nobody cared,” Natochenny said. “You don’t need them, and [people] will go see a great movie, regardless [of whether] a celebrity is in it.”
“Career voice actors, we are great at this. We are funny, and I think we should have the right of first refusal on those jobs.”
‘I want to laugh at work’
While Natochenny admits she “naively” thought her work as Ash would never end, as she continues as both a live action and voice actor, she sees voice acting as being a core part of her career moving forward.
“I love voice acting. … I audition almost every day and I can do the wackiest, craziest stuff, and people are like, ‘Yeah, I buy that,'” Natochenny said. “It’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s weird, it’s nerdy, and it’s a great way to express yourself. … I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing it.”
Ultimately Natochenny strives to work on projects where, through voice acting specifically, she can play several vastly different characters. Right now, she’s particularly interested in working on something with a lot of humour.
“I want to laugh at work,” she said. “I have an improv background, and I really would like to start using it more in my paid work.”
It’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s weird, it’s nerdy, and it’s a great way to express yourself.
