The Adventurous Times Of Jeremy Shada

What time is it? It’s time to delve into the life of the human behind Finn The Human – Jeremy Shada.

At 17, Jeremy is best known as the voice behind the beloved and heroic boy of Finn The Human in Cartoon Network’s series, ‘Adventure Time’. Based on a short produced for Nicktoons and Random! Cartoons, the show became a viral hit in 2007 and was picked up by Cartoon Network in 2010 for a full-length series. Heavily inspired by fantasy role-playing game ‘Dungeons & Dragons’, the show follows Finn (a human) and his adoptive brother Jake (a magical dog) on their adventures, quests and daily life in the post-apocalyptic, yet mystical and wondrous Land of Ooo.

“My older brother Zack actually did the voice of Finn in the original Nicktoons pilot episode before Cartoon Network picked it up. Three years later ... they noticed his voice change so they opened it up for casting and my voice sounded just, almost completely, like his. I tweaked it a little bit just to get it.

“My voice changed literally during the first season and you can probably hear it a little bit. And it’s funny, in all the screams my voice cracks totally unintentionally, in the beginning it was just me going through puberty and then it just fit the character so well. I had to learn how to control that and do it in some other scenes.”

With a strong moral code Finn swears he will help anyone in need. However, soon after season three Finn's enthusiasm tones down suggesting he is both maturing and developing as a character as he ages – in the pilot episode Finn was 12, he is now 16. Renewed for a seventh season next year, the current season has seen a major turn of events with Finn’s father now in the picture.

“I feel a lot of people, don’t dislike it, but they are surprised by it ‘cause they’re not expecting to see his dad in this kind of home-coming moment. Kind of long-lost, come back together and say all these really nice things… But I think the cool thing is that ‘Adventure Time’ is really, even though it’s a cartoon and there’s a lot of stuff going on, it’s still very relatable. And so, the fact that he meets his dad finally and he’s dad isn’t really not a good guy and he’s kind of a jerk and he kind of left him alone all his life, but not he’s in his world and I think it’s really cool. It’s very real and it’s unexpected.”

Though Finn is growing up and moving away from extravagant heroic acts, season six does see some things stay the same. “Oh gosh, Finn’s helplessly in love with Princess Bubblegum. I think Princess Bubblegum is that kind of person in your life that even if you don’t end up with them, they mean everything to you. I think everyone has that one, that first love that no matter what, they’re always in the back of your mind. I think that’s who Princess Bubblegum is for Finn… But she’s becoming a little bit of a dictator, she’s showing a few flashes of it.”

With a number of different production methods to most cartoons, the cast of ‘Adventure Time’ record their lines together in group recordings as opposed to different recording sessions with each voice actor. Jeremy says he no longer takes voice lessons because the people he works with are more valuable to his growth.

“Obviously Jake is John DiMaggio who’s also Bender [‘Futurama’], Tom Kenny is The Ice King and he also plays SpongeBob, and Hyden Walch as Princess Bubblegum … I’ve worked with them for five or six years and just having them there week in, week out is amazing. It’s just kind of like having the best tactical attack team in the business you could possibly have.”

Attracting fans from all walks of life, Jeremy says ‘Adventure Time’ appeals to a large age bracket. “I remember walking out for Comic-Con the first time and seeing a sea of people wearing Finn hats and dressed in our stuff and I was like ‘ohh wow, this is actually a huge thing’ … There’s everyone from three to ninety-three year olds who watch ‘Adventure Time’. I even have grandmas come up to me sometimes at Comic-Con, and then there’s college students and kids, it’s crazy.”

With most shows that attract a wide demographic, there are all sorts of fans, from artists to conspiracists. “I think you know you’ve kind of made it when you have a cult following where people are making theories about the show… I love like all the ‘Adventure Time’ mash-ups, that’s my favourite. Like Finn and Jake as Hans Solo and Chewbacca or Finn and Jake as Ash and Pikachu, I love that.”

Since there are characters from other cartoons on the show regularly, any chance of a cross-over? “We actually had a little, I don’t know if you’d call it a cross-over or not but, we had a little thing with ‘Futurama’ ‘cause Matt Greoning who does ‘Futurama’ is a huge fan of ‘Adventure Time’… I think ‘Adventure Time’ is such a unique and kind-of different world and it’s open to a lot of stuff already. So I don’t think, I mean I could be wrong, but I don’t see any kind of cross-overs.”

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A singer, rapper and actor as well, Jeremy says overall he likes to call himself an entertainer.“I just like entertaining in general. I love being an entertainer, it’s my art and I love doing it.” Inspired to start acting at seven by his older brother Zack, Jeremy
initially appeared in commercials, he later began auditioning for voice acting and theatrical performances.

“I was probably only eight years old when I did [‘Team America’]. I did the little French boy singing Farajaka… I remember when I recorded that, it was like two weeks before it came out in theatres. My audition was literally what ended up being used. I never saw it then ‘cause obviously I wasn’t allowed to and I just kind of forgot about it and I’ve literally never seen it since.”

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Making his way to Australia this month, Jeremy Shada will attend the Brisbane and Adelaide edits of Australia’s home-grown Supanova Expo where he will conduct a general Q&A panel and participate in singings, photo session and meeting his fans.

SUPANOVA

21st to 23rd Nov – Adelaide Showground
28th to 30th Nov – Brisbane Convention And Exhibition Centre
10th to 12th April – Melbourne Showgrounds
17th to 19th April – Gold Coast Convention And Exhibition Centre
19th to 21st June – Sydney Showground
26th to 28th June – Perth Convention And Exhibition Centre