Geek Like Me – Sarah Natochenny
I’m starting a new series called “Geek Like Me” – profiling the geeks, nerds, and dweebs that you should know about, but probably don’t. Up first, Sarah Natochenny!
My pal Sarah is a model – which is ridiculous enough on its own. But she is also an anime voice actor, and plays the voice of Ash Ketchum on Pokemon. This guy:
Weird, right? She spends her days yelping like a little boy and her nights slouching on runways. (Or so I imagine. )
I’ve known Sarah for years, and she lives up to all the nerd standards – she’s super smart, bilingual, awkward, and trippingly verbose. Plus, she’s been on panels at Comic Con! Right now she’s in an online modelling competition at V Magazine, so I thought it’d be a good time to ask her some questions about her impressively weird careers.
Ok, so which came first, the modelling or the cartoon work?
I’m a dangerously backward person. I also get randomly lucky. The rundown, started age 12: Lee Strasberg Youth Program, get an agent, random acting/improv, somehow land the lead voice on “Pokemon,” get cocky, grow an inch, refuse a college education, start modeling. I’m surprised I haven’t received any pension yet.
How do you prepare for your different jobs?
Modeling is less preparation and more lifestyle. Diet and exercise works for some girls, while others are genetic mutants who can eat pizza every day and still weight 100lbs. The day before a shoot involves green face masks and lots of tea. For Pokemon, sorry to say, I don’t really prepare. My director just briefs me on what’s happening in that day’s episode, I do a few awkward squeals to loosen up the voice, and it’s off to the races.
How are the audiences for your work different? Do you see any crossover, or worry about it?
You will probably notice I don’t model under my legal name. I use my lifelong Russian nickname. I worry a lot about crossover. My Pokemon audience is mostly very young. They can also be very vocal (there has been a lot of Sarah-hating over the last few years; one can enjoy some colorful comments at www.myspace.com/sarahisashketchum). I have never shot anything actually exposing anything, but with the implied nudes, I do worry. To generalize, fashion people laugh when I tell them I’m Ash, really because it’s just THAT random. Anime fans…anime is a fantasy house with no windows that is easy to get sucked in to…I think most fans are too young to understand that type of expression. I’m not a smiling beauty queen, editorial girls never are. Models are usually “atypical,” and in a world when Britney Spears is/was considered beautiful, I won’t even make an attempt to rock THAT mainstream boat.
What are you most proud of so far?
Being able to pay my rent in a non-rathole apartment by Union Square from a young age by doing what I love. I mean, immodestly. This interview is totally biased towards my successes, Eliza. I’m also adept in failure.
Believe me – I know, Sarah, I’ve seen you freestyle. But my interview style is “puff”? What are you working on now?
Modeling is a very short lived career. Right now, my main focus is definitely on that, and so far, it’s been quite good to me. I don’t have “supermodel aspirations…” a lot of girls don’t realise that models are not credited in most magazines…Unfortunately, my talent for it lies in editorial work…which hardly pays! Catalogs, now THAT’S money! I was a member of the NYC based improv group “Reality TV Live!” for a year, and have now joined a wonderful musical improv group. I’m using my rhythmic gymnastics background for an improv comedy video today, actually…it will be on my facebook soon! Voiceovers are awesome, and I plan to continue doing it. My consistent goal in life, however, especially after modeling, is to be a working actor in theater, film and TV. And of course, my talent for it lies in indie film…which hardly pays. I should probably develop some “movie-star aspirations…” I hear they get credited in movies.
Vote for Sarah (Nusya) in V Magazine’s Supreme Management Model Search, and help a nerd make good. – http://www.vmagazine.com/vamodel_viewprofile.php?model=11392
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I can honestly say I didn’t expect to see the combination of model/Ash Ketchum anytime soon. Booom! is the sound, my mind just made.
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 pm
This is awesome. I love the “nerd” interview idea.
…and I love Sarah. Pimp VO time!
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Great interview.
October 5th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Oh my goodness. You know that TV show that you ran home from school to see when you were a kid? Pokemon was that show for me and my brothers. My grandmother would tape it for us every day because we had to go to after-school care, and we HAD TO WATCH POKEMON before anything else could be done. And YOU WERE NOT ALLOWED TO RECORD OVER POKEMON, NOT EVEN WITH MORE POKEMON. We played “the maze”, a kind of verbal dnd-style role-playing thing we made up, in the Pokemon universe, for hours at a time. We bought cards. We bought stuffed toys. We bought videogames. I just turned eighteen. I had stopped watching Pokemon by the time she started working for them, but still… tell your friend Sarah that if she ever worries about how the TV show she works for affects young minds, to disregard all the poorly-drawn Pokemon porn (http://pokemonhentai.sensualwriter.com) and furries (http://mewsbox.furrynet.com/yiffygal.html) and emo fanfiction (http://www.thepokemontower.com/) and let her know that some of us turned out okay.