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INTERVIEW: Jordan Nagai (Russell)
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Russell
(voiced by Jordan Nagai) |
Sweet Talker!
Jordan Nagai provides the voice of a wilderness
explorer called Russell in Disney Pixar’s new
animation, Up. We catch up with the youngster to
find out all about it…
Tell us about your new movie, Up…
Up is about a young wilderness explorer called
Russell. Russell needs his last wilderness explorer
badge – the Assisting The Elderly Badge – so he goes
to his elderly neighbor, Mr. Fredricksen, to see if
he can get it.
What happens when Russell meets Mr. Fredricksen?
Mr. Fredricksen has just lost his wife and he is
about to lose his house, so he decides to go on an
adventure by attaching balloons to his home. He
sails into the sky, but Russell accidentally goes
along for the ride.
What is Russell like?
Russell is an active, enthusiastic and determined
8-year-old boy. He loves animals and he loves the
wilderness, so he has a great time exploring when
they land near Paradise Falls. Russell is a funny,
helpful and smart boy – and he wants to get this
last badge to please his father.
What is Mr. Fredricksen like?
Mr. Fredricksen is grumpy and he doesn’t like going
outside. Russell loves being outside and he loves
running around, so they’re opposites. Russell has
only been to museums. He’s never experienced the
forest for real, so this is his first trip into a
wilderness.
What do you like about Russell?
I like the way that he’s funny. He makes a lot of
jokes – and he sometimes shows off what he knows
from his wilderness explorer camp. He shows Carl –
Mr. Fredricksen – different knots and the different
calls of animals.
How similar are you to Russell?
We both love animals and I'm pretty determined at
getting things that I really want. I'd love to
explore the wilderness too!
How did you get the part of Russell?
The principal at my school sent out an email to all
students saying there was a audition for 9 and 10
year old boys. My brother was 9 years old at the
time and he went to the audition, so I went along
with him. Even though I was only 7 years old, I was
allowed to do the audition too. I did several
auditions after that – and finally, I got the part!
How difficult was it to record your voice in the
sound booth?
It wasn’t very difficult, but I had to repeat the
same lines over and over again. I also had to stand
for a long time, so it was a little tiring. The
director – Pete Docter – tried to make it easier for
me, so I took a lot of breaks. I had a lot of fun
recording the voice!
How did you prepare for the recording sessions?
Before some recordings, I’d do jumping jacks or I’d
run around the studio to pump up my energy. When I
needed to be excited, Pete would make obstacle
courses for me to run around too!
What was your funniest moment from the recording
sessions?
There was one time when I needed to laugh, so Pete
held me upside down and tickled me. That was really
funny.
How weird is it to hear your voice coming out of
a cartoon character?
It's pretty weird, but it’s cool too.
What do your friends think of your new fame?
They are all very excited for me. We went to see the
movie together on opening day. They like the movie a
lot and they think that I'm very lucky.
Have you always wanted to be an actor?
It wasn't my plan, but I really enjoyed working on
Up.
What other films would you like to star in?
Toy Story would be a great movie to work on. My
brother and I have always liked Toy Story. I think
it's really cool when the toys come alive and have
their own adventure.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to swim and play basketball. I also love
judo. I like the drum and the guitar!
Russell heads off to South America in the
movie... Where in the world would you most like to
visit?
I would like to go to Africa. I want to go on safari
and see the wild animals, like the cheetah. That
would be very cool!
Q&A with Up's Russell >
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