In real life, it's been more than a decade since Pixar and Disney introduced audiences to the intense, funny and terrifying characters in the animated aquatic feature film "Finding Nemo." But in the film's sequel, "Finding Dory," not much time has passed. In the new movie, which will be released on June 17, Marlin's free-spirited son Nemo is still a child. (It's a good thing Pixar isn't doing real-time here. The maximum lifespan of a clownfish is about ten years. Sorry, but that's science.) While there are a handful of voice actors reprising their roles in Finding Nemo , characters, but the time gap was too short for some of the voice actors to return. In Finding Nemo , Nemo's voice was played by a different actor because human children do grow up over the course of 13 years.
It's a different story for animated productions like The Simpsons or Bob's Burgers. The shows cast adult actors to play children, allowing actress Yeardley Smith to voice perpetual schoolboy Lisa Simpson for 27 years. But for Nemo, Pixar chose a truly youthful voice. If you're a fan of Orange Is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan's work, this should be familiar to you. Or at least a slightly older version.
In Finding Nemo , Nemo was played by child actor Alexander Gould, who later played Nancy Botvin's young son Sean in the Showtime series Weeds . That's right: In the Disney classic, the wayward little clownfish gets himself into a sea of trouble, only to become the precocious and morbid child of a suburban mom-turned-drug lord. Gould played the role in the dark comedy for eight seasons. After "Weeds ," the actor retired from acting. He currently attends Clark University. In 2012, Gould told Entertainment Weekly that he occasionally watched Finding Nemo with friends. "It's a great movie," he said. "I could watch it a million times and never get bored." Alexander Gould may have given up on Nemo, but he did make a cameo in Finding Nemo . IMDB refers to him as "Passenger Carl".
Your new Nemo is Hayden Lawrence. Last year, the Chicago Tribune reported that the Aurora, Ill., sixth-grader won the role when he was nine years old, but he and his family were sworn to secrecy for two years. The newspaper said, "Lawrence school administrators will not respond to media reports at the request of Hayden's parents, who are trying to give their son a normal middle school experience and prefer to keep his Disney-Pixar adventures low-key."
But "Finding Nemo" was released so quickly that "keeping a low profile" was no longer an option. Lawrence and Gould met on the blue carpet at the film's world premiere, and there must have been plenty to exchange about what it took to bring such a beloved character to life. Lawrence has been documenting his film journey on his Twitter account, where his bio reads "Just a kid." Hayden Lawrence is just a kid and a major part of the highly anticipated Disney movie.
Image: Walt Disney Studios; Jiffy
