Exclusive Interview with Emma Berman Who Continues Her Successful Voiceover Career in The Star Wars series ‘Young Jedi Adventures!’

Email: neill@outloudculture.com

Socials: @neillfrazer

Fans may recognize Emma’s unique and adorable voice from the Disney and Pixar’s feature film “Luca.” Emma lent her voice to one of the leads ‘Giulia,’ the friend of ‘Luca,’ voiced by Jacob Tremblay, and ‘Alberto,’ voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer. Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, “Luca” is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

She now voices Nash Durango in the new Star Wars series Young Jedi Adventures! Set 200 years before “The Phantom Menace,” during the High Republic era, the animated series follows Jedi younglings as they study the ways of the Force, explore the galaxy, help citizens and creatures in need and learn valuable skills needed to become Jedi along the way.

Hi Emma, welcome to OLC! So tell us how your journey began in the industry? I believe you started in theatre? What was it you loved about it?

Hi! Thank you for having me! Yes, my journey began when I started doing local community theater in the Bay Area when I was 8 years old and I really loved the experience of being in a show from auditioning to exploring the various characters I got to play, to rehearsals and bonding with the cast and everyone involved in the production. I always enjoyed working with adults as much as with kids and I absolutely loved the adrenaline rush from stepping into the spotlight. Being on stage and feeling the energy from the audience is a magical experience. 

You got your start at age 8 I believe when you had the opportunity to voice toys? How did that opportunity come about?

I was scouted in an acting class I took in San Francisco and from there I signed with the Stars agency which sent me auditions. I remember this was the first voiceover audition I received and I recorded it on my mom’s cell phone. A few weeks later, my mom got an email saying that I booked my very first job which was for LeapFrog. 

So how did you go from there to landing a role in the highly popular Disney and Pixar film ‘Luca’?

I continued to do theater and voicing more toys for LeapFrog while getting more auditions from my agent. Then one day I got the Pixar audition for Giulia and my agent told me that Pixar liked my take but suggested that I come into the agency’s office to record it again at their studio so I went into Stars and recorded it there with the sound engineer. Afterward, I was invited for a callback to the Pixar campus in Emeryville where I met the director and producer, and a lot of other people that day were in the room. The energy was incredible, everyone was very welcoming and friendly and made me feel comfortable to just do my best and go for it and have a good time. 

That must have been a surreal feeling to be in a Disney film? 

Absolutely! I still can’t believe it! I am so grateful to have given my voice to the amazing Giulia!

Now you can be heard in the new Star Wars Series ‘Young Jedi Adventures’, can you tell us a bit about the show and who you play?

I play Nash Durango, the pilot and a good friend to the Jedi younglings who takes them on various adventures across the galaxy. Nash is fierce, hard-working, determined, confident, and funny. This show is geared towards a younger audience and is filled with heart, comedy, and thrilling adventures. It is the very first series that opens the door to a new generation of young Star Wars fans teaching them the fundamental lessons of empathy and understanding the rules of the Jedi, lessons about teamwork and trusting oneself; about doing the right thing and helping those in need. 

How did you prepare for this role? Are you a fan of the Star Wars universe?

Once I knew I got the part in the Star Wars show, I wanted to learn everything I could about the galaxy and I immediately binged all the movies and fell in love with the franchise. I am a huge fan of the Star Wars universe now! 

Is it a lot less daunting lending your voice to a production then being on stage in front of thousands of people? 

I really love both of these forms of acting. I feel like my theater training comes in very handy in the voiceover work. There are a lot of similarities in the way I perform on stage and in the recording studio, but one big difference is that in a recording studio, I can take a few takes and I don’t need to memorize the lines, while in front of the audience I only have one chance to get it right so the stakes are higher. 

Would you like to someday return to the stage or even do a live-action film for the big screen?

Definitely! I continue to do theater and this last year I have been in two mainstage productions with Sacramento Theatre Company where I played Little Fan in ‘Christmas Carol’ and in ‘Wait Until Dark’ I played the role of Gloria. I would really love to be in a live action film as well, I think that would be a very cool experience! 

Who is someone you’d love to work with and why? I read your favorite actors are Kate Winslett and Mandy Moore…have to say I’m also huge fans of them both. What do you love about their work?

Kate Winslett starred in my favorite movie “Titanic” and her performance was very inspiring for me. She is humble and grounded in spite of her massive success and I really admire that about her. Mandy Moore is also a big inspiration to me because she is a very talented singer and an actress and I absolutely loved how she voiced Princess Rapunzel in Tangled. One person who I would love to work with one day is Emma Chamberlain because she is such a successful young businesswoman and I love listening to her podcast. I look up to her so much and working with her would just be unreal.

What do your friends think about you being a voice actor for Disney and how do you stay grounded?

I am very lucky to have a lot of awesome friends who are really happy for me and supportive of my journey. In my day-to-day life, I do all the regular teenage things and go to school. I don’t think of myself as famous or anything like that because my work doesn’t affect my regular life but I definitely know how privileged I am to have the opportunities that I have and I don’t take it for granted! 

What advice do you have for people wanting to get their start in the entertainment industry?

I think doing theater is a great start, as well as taking acting classes. That’s what I did and keep doing, so I guess that’s my advice because that’s how I got started and continue to learn the craft. I also think you need to really love and accept every aspect of the journey, because it is a lot of hard work with auditions and the long hours at the rehearsals, so if your heart is not fully in it, then the whole experience might not be as rewarding. 

What’s next for you in 2023?

Currently, I am recording for the Season 2 of “Superkitties”, a Disney Jr. show about four fierce and furry superhero kitties who are on a mission to make Kittydale a more caring place. In this series, I voice Ginny, the Superkitties leader and right now you can hear me and my amazing co-stars in Season 1 on Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney+ !