Sarah Natochenny (born 1987) is a Russian-American voice actress and editor. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. In 2009, she appeared in videos on the comedy website CollegeHumor. In 2019, she won the Outstanding Animation or Gaming - Demo, Best Voiceover award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences. 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. She also appeared in three videos for Vanity Fair, talking about the dubbing process and improvising as never-before-seen characters. Natochenny has appeared on multiple episodes of The George Lucas Talk Show. 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.

Personal life

Natochenny splits her time between Los Angeles and New York City. She has been open about her struggles with depression. Natochenny has a cat named after Pikachu. 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