Sarah Natochenny
{{Short description|American voice actress (born 1987)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sarah Natochenny
| image = Sarah Natochenny Photo Op Animate! Columbus 2024 (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Natochenny in 2024
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1987}}{{cite magazine |url=https://littlevillagemag.com/pokemon-voice-actor-sarah-natochenny-des-moines-con/ |title='Pokémon' voice actor Sarah Natochenny discusses 17 years as Ash Ketchum ahead of Des Moines Con 2023 |last=Hamlet |first=Isaac |date=May 25, 2023 |magazine=Little Village |location=Iowa City, Iowa |access-date=September 21, 2024}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|Voice actress|editor}}
| years_active = 2004–present
| website = {{URL|sarahnatochenny.com}}
}}
Sarah Natochenny ({{IPAc-en|'|n|æ|t|ə|ˌ|tʃ|ɛ|n|i|,_|ˈ|n|æ|t|oʊ|-}}; born 1987) is an American voice actress. She is best known for voicing Ash Ketchum and various other characters in the English dub of Pokémon, as well as Alicia in the video game Bullet Witch. She has also edited documentaries for networks such as MSNBC and worked as an assistant editor on the films Life of Crime, Cold Comes the Night, Worst Friends, and Cruise.
Early life
Natochenny was born in the Forest Hills neighborhood of New York City's Queens borough{{cite web|url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/at-boroughcon-fohi-s-voice-on-pokemon/article_9278c21f-9e2e-5fb5-815a-372c4dccbb7e.html|title=At BoroughCon, FoHi's voice on 'Pokemon'|website=qchron.com|date=June 2017|access-date=March 23, 2018|archive-date=March 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324135721/http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/at-boroughcon-fohi-s-voice-on-pokemon/article_9278c21f-9e2e-5fb5-815a-372c4dccbb7e.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Haque |first=Fahima |date=2016-07-15 |title='I'm a sensitive type of Pokémon': meet the voice behind Ash Ketchum |url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/15/pokemon-ash-ketchum-voice-sarah-natochenny |access-date=2021-05-23 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604033741/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/15/pokemon-ash-ketchum-voice-sarah-natochenny |url-status=live }} in 1987. She is of Russian descent and is fluent in both English and Russian. At the age of 12, she won a bronze medal in rhythmic gymnastics at the Junior Olympics.{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://www.sarahnatochenny.com/about|access-date=2021-05-23|website=sarahnatochennyhome|language=en|archive-date=April 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429000913/https://www.sarahnatochenny.com/about|url-status=live}} She graduated from Stephen A. Halsey JHS 157 and Brooklyn Technical High School in 2005, then studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute's Young Actors Program, as well as the Upright Citizens Brigade and Magnet Theatre in New York City.
Career
At the age of 18, Natochenny replaced Veronica Taylor as the voice of Ash Ketchum on the English-language dub of Pokémon, starting with the show's ninth season in 2006.{{cite news|title=FEATURE: Ash Ketchum English VA Sarah Natochenny's Journey of Finding Herself in Pokémon|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interviews/2023/3/24/feature-ash-ketchum-english-va-sarah-natochennys-journey-of-finding-herself-in-pokmon|website=Crunchyroll|date=24 March 2023|access-date=16 March 2024|archive-date=March 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316105852/https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interviews/2023/3/24/feature-ash-ketchum-english-va-sarah-natochennys-journey-of-finding-herself-in-pokmon|url-status=live}} She likened getting the role to "being struck by Pikachu's Thunderbolt" and called it "the most exciting moment of [her] life". She also voices various other characters on the show.{{cite web|last=Hoffer|first=Christian|date=April 22, 2017|title=Ash Ketchum Has a Special Earth Day Message Courtesy of His Original Voice Actor|url=http://wwg.com/pokemon/2017/04/22/pokemon-ash-ketchum-earth-day/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323154908/http://wwg.com/pokemon/2017/04/22/pokemon-ash-ketchum-earth-day/|archive-date=March 23, 2018|access-date=March 23, 2018|website=Pokemon on WWG}} She faced some fan backlash for replacing Taylor as Ash, which affected her struggles with depression: "One [bout of depression] that wasn't circumstantial but was kicked off by the reaction I got when I first started. You're doing what you love and you finally book your first huge role on a show that you loved as a child and people are like, 'You're terrible.' That's really painful to experience."
Natochenny voiced Alicia in the 2006 video game Bullet Witch.{{Cite web|title=Sarah Natochenny (visual voices guide)|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Sarah-Natochenny/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|archive-date=May 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523094425/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Sarah-Natochenny/|url-status=live}} In 2009, she appeared in videos on the comedy website CollegeHumor.{{cite web|date=July 13, 2009|title=Ice Age in 4D|url=http://www.collegehumor.com/video/5232029/ice-age-in-4d|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925035236/http://www.collegehumor.com/video/5232029/ice-age-in-4d|archive-date=September 25, 2011|access-date=July 18, 2009|website=CollegeHumor}}{{cite web|title=Bleep Bloop: Voice of Ash Ketchum|url=http://www.collegehumor.com/video/5077966/bleep-bloop-voice-of-ash-ketchum|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814001912/http://www.collegehumor.com/video/5077966/bleep-bloop-voice-of-ash-ketchum|archive-date=August 14, 2011|access-date=July 18, 2009|website=CollegeHumor}} In 2019, she won the Outstanding Animation or Gaming - Demo, Best Voiceover award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences.{{Cite web|title=2019 Winners|url=https://www.sovas.org/2019-winners/|access-date=2021-01-28|website=Sovas|language=en-US|archive-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213000853/https://www.sovas.org/2019-winners/|url-status=live}} In 2020, she co-starred in the live action pilot I Adore Dolores, which was one of No Budge's top picks of the year.{{Cite web|url=http://nobudge.com/main/i-adore-dolores|title=I Adore Dolores|website=NoBudge}} She also appeared in three videos for Vanity Fair, talking about the dubbing process and improvising as never-before-seen characters.{{Cite web|date=February 28, 2020|title=Sarah Natochenny (Ash from Pokémon) Improvises 10 New Cartoon Voices|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw_IedZUhSk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/jw_IedZUhSk |archive-date=2021-12-19|url-status=live|access-date=May 23, 2021|website=Vanity Fair|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite magazine|date=March 16, 2020|title=How Pokémon Is Dubbed From Japanese To English|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B35E8QleVhg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/B35E8QleVhg |archive-date=2021-12-19|url-status=live|access-date=May 23, 2021|magazine=Vanity Fair|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite magazine|date=October 30, 2020|title=Voice Actor (Ash from Pokémon) Breaks Down Voice Dubbing in 9 Steps|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGF9wn_sGkM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/UGF9wn_sGkM |archive-date=2021-12-19|url-status=live|access-date=May 23, 2021|magazine=Vanity Fair|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}
Natochenny has appeared on multiple episodes of The George Lucas Talk Show.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} She is also a film editor, having worked as the primary editor on documentaries for networks such as MSNBC and an assistant editor on the films Life of Crime, Cold Comes the Night, Worst Friends, and Cruise.{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://www.voicesforfosters.org/about-us|access-date=2021-01-28|website=voicesforfosters|language=en|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112193102/https://www.voicesforfosters.org/about-us|url-status=live}}
Personal life
Natochenny describes herself as Russian-American and discussed speaking fluent Russian in a 2020 interview with ComicsBeat.{{Cite news|last=Kaplan|first=Avery|date=2020-04-28|title=Interview: Sarah Natochenny on recording Marvel's Black Widow: Bad Blood|url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-sarah-natochenny-on-recording-black-widow-bad-blood/|access-date=2021-05-23|newspaper=The Beat|language=en-US|quote=Amanda actually cast me based on knowing me, she's like, "I think you're this person." And also, I'm Russian-American, so that helped. And I speak Russian, so.|archive-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118202016/https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-sarah-natochenny-on-recording-black-widow-bad-blood/|url-status=live}} She splits her time between Los Angeles and New York City. She has been open about her struggles with depression.{{Cite instagram |last=Natochenny |first=Sarah |user=sarah_natochenny |postid=B2o13QAFoip |title=Sarah Anne on Instagram: "Portrait of a woman getting better with age. Hot tips: don't drink alcohol, do sleep eight hours, do wear sunscreen daily and hats during..." |date=September 20, 2019}}
Natochenny has a cat named after Pikachu.{{Cite web|last=Gularte|first=Alejandra|date=2022-12-22|title=Voice Actress Sarah Natochenny Understands the Importance of Ash Ketchum|url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/12/pokemon-ash-ketchum-sarah-natochenny-interview.html|access-date=2023-11-06|website=Vulture|language=en-US|archive-date=November 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107034344/https://www.vulture.com/2022/12/pokemon-ash-ketchum-sarah-natochenny-interview.html|url-status=live}} Inspired by a Pokémon episode that dealt with death, Natochenny and fellow voice actress Lisa Ortiz co-founded Voices for Fosters, a charity dedicated to helping rescued animals find permanent homes and advising people on how to foster them. Their website states, "Our goal is to bring the joy of pet companionship to people who didn't think they had the time, end euthanasia and improve care standards for all animals."
Filmography
=Anime=
=Animation=
=Film=
=Video games=
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ List of acting performances in television ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"| Notes ! class="unsortable"| {{abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}} | ||||
| {{dts|2024|format=y}} | Game Changer | Herself | Episode: "Pencils Down" | {{cite web | title=Pencils Down | website=Dropout | date=March 25, 2024 | url=https://www.dropout.tv/videos/pencils-down | access-date=March 26, 2024 | archive-date=March 26, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326003713/https://www.dropout.tv/videos/pencils-down | url-status=live }} |
Accolades
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Award ! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |
| align="center"| 2025
| align="center"| 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (English) | {{pending}} | style="text-align:center;"| {{cite web|last=Pedersen|first=Erik|title=Crunchyroll Anime Awards Nominations Revealed|url=https://deadline.com/2025/04/crunchyroll-anime-awards-2025-nominations-list-1236358422/|website=Deadline|date=April 3, 2025|access-date=April 4, 2025|archive-date=April 3, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250403212358/https://deadline.com/2025/04/crunchyroll-anime-awards-2025-nominations-list-1236358422/|url-status=live}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://sarahnatochenny.com/}}
- {{anime News Network|people|id=59901|name=Sarah Natochenny}}
- {{IMDb name|id=2516299|name=Sarah Natochenny}}
- [http://www.crystalacids.com/database/person/8593/sarah-natochenny/ Sarah Natochenny] at Crystal Acids the English Voice Actor & Production Staff Database
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natochenny, Sarah}}
Category:Actresses from Queens, New York
Category:American film editors
Category:American people of Russian descent
Category:American video game actresses
Category:American voice actresses
Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni