Jordan Nagai

Jordan Nagai (born February 5, 2000) is an American student and former child voice actor. He is best known for his voice role as Russell in Up. Jordan's older brother Hunter originally auditioned for Russell in Up. Director Pete Docter has said, "As soon as Jordan's voice came on we started smiling because he is appealing and innocent and cute and different from what I was initially thinking." About four hundred children had shown up for the auditions, but Nagai stood out because he wouldn't stop talking the whole time. Nevertheless, he was sometimes very shy, and Docter found it difficult getting him to recite all of his lines. Nagai's character in Up is the first Asian American figure in a movie by Pixar. He also lent his voice to an episode of The Simpsons called "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?" as the voice of Charlie, an orphan who befriends Bart in his quest for a baby brother. The program aired on December 13, 2009. Nagai has not acted in anything since; instead, opting to pursue a career in biology and healthcare management.