When it comes to voice acting, the voices who bring to life some of the world's most iconic characters in pop culture are only ever truly obligated to take care of their voices. As long as their voice is in tip-top shape, an actor or actress can stay with a character as long as they want to.
Because of this realization, it means that a voice actor is also able to dabble into other voices throughout the world of animation and even see what character or story is the best fit for them. Voice actress Julie Nathanson has been in the game for a couple of decades now and has been in the world of video games, anime, and television since then.
She has even brought her voice to some of Cartoon Network's most famous shows like The Powerpuff Girls and Johnny Bravo. I was recently able to catch up with her and ask her about her time with Cartoon Network and what it was like working in the studio.
Below is the written excerpt, but there is also a full audio interview in Literary Joe's Inner Child Podcast, where we talk to Julie about even more! Make sure to check it out below, and don't forget to share your thoughts in the comments!
Comic Brooks: I wanted to ask you, with all of the roles you were apart of at cartoon network, was it all in the same studio, or did you have to commute to different locations for each show? Like were you running into showrunners from Johnny Bravo while recording Powerpuff Girls?
Julie Nathanson: They were both recorded at Salami Studios, which is in North Hollywood. And I don't ever remember having sessions for both on the same day, but they did happen to record in the same studio. It was so much fun, it was ridiculous. Also, most of us, performers, have been fans of something before we start to do this work. So, of course, I watched the Powerpuff Girls, and then they were like, "you can play Robin," and I was like, "I'm sorry, I can do what now." I was so excited, and the same thing with Johnny Bravo and this was such a long time ago. And I think about, at the time, I would not have imagined where my career would go. I think video games were happening at the time, but they were not what they are today. Which right now, games are practically medicinal.
Many of us are locked at home, and being able to slip into another world is beyond sort of that social connectedness we need anyway as an escape. But also a place to just let go of the assaultive information that was getting right now and news and world events, and to be able to jump into this other space and be immersed and make so many decisions, that's what games allow us to do.
We jump in and have agency in our lives sometimes in ways that we can't otherwise. So I have loved doing games, and I never expected that would be such a big part of my life when I was way back in the day. Doing episodes of Powerpuff Girls or Johnny Bravo or doing The Zeta Project for DC and Warner Brothers.
*This interview has been edited for clarity and conducted with co-hosts Literary Joe and Darth Lexii*
Julie Nathanson's voice can be heard on the animated Youtube series Ride Share!