How One JET Alum Found His Voice
Yuri Lowenthal (Shiga, 1993-1995)
Interviewed by Jin (Nagasaki, 2018-2021)
Not everyone gets to live out a childhood dream. In fact, not many are brave enough to even try. But for Yuri Lowenthal, the passion and love for all things Japan paved the way toward making his dream a reality: becoming an actor. And for over two decades, that’s exactly what this JET alum has done by bringing characters to life like the sullen ninja Sasuke on Naruto and the titular Ben Tennyson on Ben 10, to classic iconic characters such as Spider-Man and Superman.
But let’s rewind: before even getting the chance to dub the remake movie of his favorite anime as a child, there were the experiences of not being a match for his Japanese coworkers at the bars during nomikai (something other JETs likely have experience in), and his very first voice acting lessons. To hear where it all began, we sat down with the actor and writer to discuss how he was able to make his dreams come true.
Yuri (center, front) with his office colleagues in Shiga while on JET.
As the so-called “resident nerd” in the family, with a love of Japanese pop culture, Lowenthal branched into learning the language early on in high school in a pilot Japanese language program, before proceeding to study abroad at Kansai Gaidai in Osaka. He then finally made his way to the JET Program as a CIR. It was here that he further explored his love of acting as part of several theatre companies. A French-Japanese company, which produced old Japanese plays with Western actors, an Australian theatre company that trained in "Suzuki" style, and produced Shakespeare, and a Butoh dance troupe, all during his two years on JET.
However, even this level of exposure to theatre wasn’t enough to quell the thirst for acting for Lowenthal. While he still misses the food in Japan decades later (don’t we all!), his passion for acting and a desire for more pulled him back to the US, to New York City. There, he continued acting for the theatre while also working as a coordinator for a production company that ran shoots for Japanese TV and film. Some time later, the desire for full-time work as an actor changed this path as well.
Yuri preparing for a production with his host father while on study abroad at Kansai Gaidai.
With the support of his wife, who shared his dreams and passions and is also now a well-known voice actress, they made the big move to LA and embarked on a new adventure through voice acting lessons. As luck would have it, the voice acting instructor would go on to direct the English dub of SD Gundam Force, and Lowenthal would take his first step in the dubbing world as Bakunetsumaru. Much like the JET Program, he found the dubbing world to be a warm environment, with even his “competitors” connecting him to new studios and roles. And since then, Lowenthal has dubbed for notable characters such as Sasuke Uchiha on Naruto, one he’s voiced for over 20 years now. But a role the actor considers one of the crown jewels in his career is when he was cast in the film Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles as Marcus Rush, with the original Robotech being one of his favorite shows in high school, a full-circle moment, indeed, for the actor.
Now, for the JETs interested in the entertainment industry, post their time on the JET Program:
Lowenthal stresses that it’s rarely about the kind of voice you have or what kind of impressions or voices you’re able to produce. While those could be useful skills to have up your sleeve, your perspective as a human being matters much more. The more experiences (such as JET), the more you’ve seen of the world, the better. People with interesting lives make interesting actors. And, of course, the acting skills are imperative.
Yuri with a fellow troupe member in a French-Japanese company preparing to perform Sonezaki Shinjuu (Love Suicide at Sonezaki) in classical Japanese in Kobe.
How can JET help you get a foot in?
The language skills alone have been a useful asset to Lowenthal, which he’s used not only in communicating with clients, but with dubbing Japanese shows, films, and games. In fact, he notes that he listens to the original Japanese recording first to immerse himself in the cultural nuances of the scene. However, for those who don’t speak Japanese, the unique experiences they had on JET and their time in Japan alone would be wonderful skills to bring to the table.
What if you don’t have the “perfect resume”?
The actor’s advice is that you don’t need one. Nor do you need a direct connection to make it happen. Focus first on saying “yes” to those unique opportunities, the ones that will eventually make you “you” and that you’ll remember years down the road. All the little threads, like the theater gigs in Japan, having to start again in a new city, a government job, all the pieces that look unconventional on paper, will stitch together in the end. You’ll find a way.
And when you do, you’ll know that even those days sitting in an apartment in the middle of nowhere Japan, wondering what comes next, are already shaping the future that’s meant just for you. You just have to pay attention.
About Yuri Lowenthal (Shiga, 1993-1995)
Yuri Lowenthal is an actor, writer and producer known primarily for his voice acting work in animation and video games. He plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the hit video game franchise Marvel’s Spider-Man, Sasuke in the English language version of anime juggernaut Naruto, and the titular Ben Tennyson on Cartoon Network's long-running Ben 10 series among others. He formed Monkey Kingdom Productions and BugBot Press with his wife and partner-in-crime Tara Platt, and has published the bestselling book on voice acting Voice-Over Voice Actor and produced and starred in the groundbreaking live sci-fi series Orbital Redux with Legendary Entertainment. He served as a JET CIR in Shiga Prefecture from 1993-1995 and considers it one of his most valuable experiences.
The Senpai Spotlight series features JET alumni from the US who have made successful careers for themselves in various fields—with the goal of inspiring JETs and JET alumni to pursue their own dreams while also offering some words of advice only a senpai could know.
If you, or someone you know, would like to be featured as a Senpai Spotlight, please reach out to us at contact@usjetaa.org.
This edition of Senpai Spotlight was written by Jin, a graduate student and writer. Her love for Japanese literature took her beyond the pages and straight to the JET Program (Nagasaki, 2018-2021). There, she wrote for the Nagazasshi, a JET-run magazine. These days, she’s a freelance writer and editor, still chasing great stories and crafting her own along the way.
