Our resident host Grace Sanders caught up with US voice actress EMMA BERMAN to discuss her journey with Disney and Pixar's LUCA, and new role in Star Wards series Young Jedi Adventures!

Set 200 years before “The Phantom Menace,” during the High Republic era, the animated series follows Jedi younglings as they study the ways of the Force, explore the galaxy, help citizens and creatures in need and learn valuable skills needed to become Jedi along the way. Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures releases May 4, 2023 on Disney+ and Disney Junior (where available). She is also currently voicing Ginny on the Disney Jr. Series Superkitties!

Fans may recognize Emma’s unique and adorable voice from the Disney and Pixar’s feature film “Luca.” Emma lent her voice to one of the leads ‘Giulia,’ the friend of ‘Luca,’ voiced by Jacob Tremblay, and ‘Alberto,’ voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer. Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, “Luca” is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

MORE ABOUT EMMA

Currently residing in San Francisco, the seventh grader is active in the professional theater scene in the Bay Area. Most recently, she has played ‘Baby June’ in Bay Area Musicals' production of “Gypsy” and received rave reviews for her performance including one critic saying, “Berman shows the benefit of wide experience for such a young actress, and might well be described as a prodigy” and another stating “Emma Berman as the crackerjack younger June who might even steal this show.” She also played ‘Ivanka’ in 42nd Street Moon’s production of “Once,” which won Best Musical of the Year by Bay Area Theater Awards and was part of the American Conservatory Theater’s production of “A Christmas Carol” for two years.

As a young performer dedicated to her craft, Emma studies on an ongoing basis with acting coach Melinda Darlington Bach and dialects coach Bettina Devin on her British and Italian accents, but the actress also speaks fluent Russian as she grew up in a bilingual household. Additionally, Emma has trained in New York with A Class Act and Broadway Artists Alliance.

Outside of acting, Emma continues to live a fast-paced life, always keeping busy. She loves to draw, bake and race go karts with her older brother and has been a regular at Sonoma Raceway last few years. In college, Emma wants to study to become a storyboard artist and director and hopes to one day work at Pixar. She is also a huge fan of the app Calm and would love to read books on tape for them like two of her favorite actors, Mandy Moore and Kate Winslet.

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