Jordan Nagai

American child voice actor

Jordan Nagai
Born	(2000-02-05) February 5, 2000 (age 24) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Washington University in St. Louis
Occupation	Voice actor
Years active	2009–2010

Jordan Nagai (born February 5, 2000) is an American student and former child voice actor. He is best known for his voice role as Russell in Up.^[1]

Career

Jordan's older brother Hunter originally auditioned for Russell in Up.^[2] Director Pete Docter has said, "As soon as Jordan's voice came on we started smiling because he is appealing and innocent and cute and different from what I was initially thinking."^[2] About four hundred children had shown up for the auditions, but Nagai stood out because he wouldn't stop talking the whole time.^[1] Nevertheless, he was sometimes very shy, and Docter found it difficult getting him to recite all of his lines.^[2] Nagai's character in Up is the first Asian American figure in a movie by Pixar.^[1]

He also lent his voice to an episode of The Simpsons called "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?" as the voice of Charlie, an orphan who befriends Bart in his quest for a baby brother. The program aired on December 13, 2009.^[3] Nagai has not acted in anything since; instead, opting to pursue a career in biology and healthcare management.^[4]

Filmography

Films

Up (2009) – Russell (voice)
Dug's Special Mission (2009) – Russell (voice)

Television

Schoolhouse Rock!: Earth – Additional Voices (voice)
The Simpsons (Episode: "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?") – Charlie (voice)
Dug Days (Episode: "Science") - Russell (voice; archive recordings)

Video games

Up (2009) – Russell (voice)

Awards and nominations

2010 Breakout Performance Award, from the East West Players^[5]^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Hu, Arthur (2009-05-28). "Asians in Movie 'Up' and Others". AsianWeek. Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
^ ^a ^b ^c King, Susan (2009-05-28). "Jordan Nagai, 'Up'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
^ "BART'S HOLIDAY WISH THIS SEASON IS FOR A BROTHER". FoxFlash. Archived from the original on 2012-12-13.
^ Poolos, Olivia (March 17, 2021). "Yes, WU junior Jordan Nagai played Russell in Disney-Pixar's 'Up.' And no, he doesn't mind talking about it". Student Life. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
^ "'Up' Star Jordan Nagai to Receive Breakout Performance Award". rafu.com.
^ "EWP Honors Pixar Films And Jordan Nagai At 44th Anniversary Visionary Awards 4/19". Broadway World.