Ashley Boettcher co-narrated her first audiobook at the end of last year alongside Brandon Engman when she worked on Weathering With You by Makoto Shinkai, having previously voiced Hina in the award-winning feature film of the same project. In the Final Fantasy video games – Final Fantasy VII Remake: Episode Intermission and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Ashley voiced Nayo, and her other voice work includes Moe Tojo in Lonely Castle in the Mirror, Celestine in Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia and Dorothy Gale in the Amazon Prime Video animated series Lost in Oz. As a screen actor, Ashley played Nicole Bennett in the American sitcom Outmatched, and she had her first regular screen role playing Mel Fuller in all episodes of Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street. At the start of her career, Ashley played Hannah Pearson in Aliens in the Attic, before going on to play Jessica Finch in Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer – the film adaptation of Megan McDonald’s book series. Continuing her work on screen and voiceover, Ashley is working on unannounced projects. We talked to Ashley about co-narrating audiobook Weathering With You and voicing Hina in the feature film, recording as Dorothy Gale in animated series Lost in Oz and working on Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and Aliens in the Attic.

At the end of last year, you co-narrated the audiobook Weathering With You by Makoto Shinkai alongside Brandon Engman, how did you find the experience working on your first audiobook?

Working on the Weathering With You audiobook was a dream come true! As an avid audiobook listener, it felt very surreal to be on the other side of it all. I was a little nervous but thankfully our director Finlay Stevenson and the whole team made it a breeze!

You voice Hina in the award-winning feature film of Weathering With You, what is Hina like to voice and what do you enjoy most about being part of the franchise?

Hina was an absolute delight to voice in English! It can be pretty weird for actors to watch their past projects. Some of us can tend to get self-critical, myself included. When it comes to Weathering With You, I get so lost in the story and beauty of it all, I can almost forget I voice Hina!

There is a lovely collaboration with dubs. You get to experience another actor’s performance in a totally different language and feel the essence of the character you both play. The tricky thing is figuring out how to match the character as originally voiced while adding a bit of yourself to the mix, without compromising the story, personality or performance. Nana Mori, who voices Hina in the original Japanese, did such a fantastic job. I really wanted to honour her performance as well as Makoto Shinkai’s incredible vision and hope it comes across to viewers.

There are people you find in life that you just click with on some deep, unexplainable level. Michael Sinterniklaas and Stephanie Sheh are two of those people for me. They are one of the greatest duos and every time we work together, it’s so special. I’ve had the pleasure of working with NYAV Post and GKids on a few projects over the years and it is alway so exciting to tell stories together 😃

How is it recording for the Final Fantasy video games, having voiced Nayo in Final Fantasy VII Remake: Episode Intermission and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?

Recording for Final Fantasy is so much fun! It’s typically top secret when you’re working with them, which is very exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. It’s so cool to be part of a franchise with such a huge impact.

Can you tell us about your time voicing Moe Tojo in Lonely Castle in the Mirror and Celestine in Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia?

Absolutely! These are two more GKids and NYAV Post projects I got to be a part of and they both were a delight!

Fun fact – In 2020, my dad built a sound booth so I could work from home and I actually got to use it for both of these projects! It’s so nice to go to work in your pjs, haha!

I originally auditioned for another character in Lonely Castle in the Mirror. It was a happy surprise when I got cast as Moe Tojo and I truly think it was a great fit! She is such a sweet character to voice.

With Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, there is actually some lore! If you stalk my IMDb, you’ll find a credit for some additional voices in the original Ernest and Celestine movie. That marked my first time working with NYAV Post and GKids. I was only 11 or so at the time and it was through that project I met Ned Lott, Michael Sinterniklaas and Stephanie Sheh, who are some of my favourite people to this day!

Over the years, we’ve worked together on Throne of Elves and Weathering With You, as I mentioned earlier. Michael and I joke that we seem to have a reunion every three years or so! When the audition came along to voice Celestine in Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, I freaked out! It was such a full circle thing. Before recording, I watched the whole movie through to refine the voice and familiarise myself with the wonderful, magical, musical world again! It felt like travelling back in time. Celestine is such a feisty little mouse with a whole lot of attitude! She’s so much fun and I love her very much.

How was it taking on the role of Dorothy Gale in Amazon Prime Video’s animated series Lost in Oz and what was the show like to work on?

Taking up the mantle of Dorothy Gale is a true honour. To add my name to the list of fantastic people who carry the torch is something I don’t take lightly! It’s difficult to honour such a beloved character and franchise while also adding your own twist to it all. It’s something everyone on the show wanted to be very intentional about. We made something new and different, for old and new Oz fans alike to enjoy. Through it all, there is so much love and respect for the world L. Frank Baum built. There are several references to the books in Lost in Oz, I always keep an eye out when watching the episodes. You should too!

Working on the show was fantastic! I’ve said it many times before, Bureau of Magic is one of my favourite teams to work with! Each member of the BoM team is so genuinely kind, down to earth and hard-working. They inspire me in more ways than I could list out in this interview! From Lost in Oz, to even interning with them, everything I’ve had the honour to collaborate with them on has been truly magical. I am grateful for each of them.

Stay tuned for new adventures! There is so much more of Oz to explore!

As an on-screen actor, you played Nicole Bennett – one of the main characters in the American sitcom Outmatched, what was it like on set of the series and how was it being in the cast?

Where even to begin with Outmatched! This was one of those rare sets that changes you forever. Showing up to set every day was like living in a dream! From returning to the Fox lot where my film career got its start, to being reunited with old friends and even meeting some of my childhood icons. Outmatched was another one of those full circle projects for me. Every single person on that show was amazing to work with and I will forever look back fondly on the months we all spent on the Simpsons Stage together. To this day, when I need a good laugh, I pull up some videos from set or watch an episode or two. It marks such a happy time in my life and brings up so many joyful memories.

What are some of your favourite highlights from playing Mel Fuller in all episodes of Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street?

Ah, this is a big question! I played Mel for about three years from start to finish. Some of the most formidable years of my teens were spent on the set of this show. There was so much growth that happened there, personally and professionally. It’s incredibly difficult to know what to say, so here are some of the first things that come to my mind:

• Having the opportunity to handle the heavy topic of losing a parent on a kids show. Years later, I’ve had the opportunity to meet people who lost a parent and watched the show as a kid. To witness the impact and comfort it brought them to know they weren’t alone is something I truly cherish.
• Getting to shadow one of our directors, Alethea Jones, for an episode! It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to become a director, so during filming I got to shadow Alethea, which was incredible! It was so much fun to see the nitty gritty process beyond what actors see day to day on set. I even got to go location scouting!
• Cutting my hair! It might seem silly, but that was the first time I had cut my hair short and it was a huge change in a good way.
• One of my favourite things about Normal Street is that while there is so much magical, otherworldly activity there, the adolescent milestones and emotions are universal. We deal with so many “normal” things in extraordinary ways. At the root, everyone can relate to the experiences of growing up, even if they didn’t have a frog of ultimate doom or mermaids in their town.
• The people you work with can make or break your experience on a production. The biggest highlight is the people who made each day on set a little brighter by their friendship, belief and creativity.

Do you remember how you felt finding out you’d booked the role of Mel and how was it having her as your first regular role on screen?

I do! It was actually the day after my 13th birthday! I was called in for a “mix and match session”. That is where a bunch of actors audition for different roles together to see who has chemistry. I remember when Sloane (Morgan Siegel), Drew (Justice) and I were in the room together. I can’t explain it to you but it was like we had known each other forever. It was effortless. When I was told I got cast as Mel, I was over the moon. I said it was the best birthday present ever!

I had no clue what the next several years would hold. I fell in love with Normal Street the second I read the pilot script. There weren’t many scripts for kids shows that made me laugh and cry too. The world David Anaxagoras created was so different and it spoke to me. It still does. Getting to jump into that world, make my own home on Normal Street and portray Mel was an experience that left me forever changed.

What do you remember most from filming for Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer as Jessica Finch and how was it being part of the film adaptation of Megan McDonald’s book series?

I remember laughing, a lot! Us kids would hang out together and they actually gave us little cameras to record behind the scenes from our perspective. Cameron Boyce also worked on Judy Moody and he really was a ball of pure, goofy energy and light. I also was reunited with John Schultz, who was the director of Aliens in the Attic as well, which made it even more of a blast! The whole experience was so much fun, from filming to chatting with Megan between set ups and goofing off with the cast in the school room. I loved the books as a kid and still have them in my collection today!

At the start of your career, you played Hannah Pearson in Aliens in the Attic, what was Hannah like to play and do you have any stand-out memories from filming this project that you can share?

Aw man, I can feel myself getting emotional already! Aliens in the Attic is, to this day, my all-time favourite set. There are so many wonderful memories. Here’s a list of only a few of them.

• Fun fact: We actually shot in New Zealand for four-and-a-half months! For about half that time, my family and I got to stay in a villa on the beach. It was amazing.
• Henri (Young), Regan (Young) and I were often in the school room together. We would cause some shenanigans for our schoolteacher Pat, but I think she liked us in the end 😃
• I got to do my own stunts! All of the antigravity scenes were really me. I remember testing out the wires for the first time and I kept asking to go to the top of the soundstage! I quickly fell in love with stunt work and still love it today.
• When we weren’t filming, we would all explore together! Austin (Butler) and Carter (Jenkins) became my honorary brothers during the time and we all had a blast.
• Growing up, Disney Channel was a treat in my house, kind of like candy. Whenever I would watch it, there was this actress I thought was the coolest and we even had the same first name… Ashley Tisdale! Having the opportunity to work with her was quite literally a dream come true. They say never meet your heroes, but I’m so glad I did! Ashley and her family are the best. Seriously, they’ve become family to me and I am so thankful for them.
• The director, John Schultz (who also worked on Judy Moody) was one of the greatest directors I’ve ever worked with. When you’re a kid, you can sometimes get excluded in the professional process. John did an amazing job including me. He didn’t treat me differently being the youngest, never spoke down to me and always made me feel like I was a part of the big-kid conversations. He even let me peek through the camera and sit with the adults in video village during shooting!
• If you’ve ever been on set, you know 1st assistant directors can be pretty scary. They’re responsible for making sure everything stays on schedule and typically run a pretty tight ship. Ours was John Woodward. While he did his job incredibly well, he is also one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. Much like John Schultz, he never made me feel like just a kid. He made sure I was included and had a great impact on my love for filmmaking. Even all these years later, he still wishes me a happy birthday!
• In most of our scenes together, Sparks was a stuffed green screen alien with blue dots on his head. By the end of filming, I’d grown so attached to the Stuffy (as I affectionately called him) that production let me take him home! I still have him and it is the coolest thing I’ve ever taken home from a set.

These are just a few of the spectacular memories from Aliens in the Attic. I made lifelong friends on that set, travelled the world and got to live out my dreams. To say I’m thankful is an understatement.

As for what Hannah was like to play, it honestly felt like I just got to be myself. While I don’t have siblings or an alien as a best friend, Hannah’s precocious, empathetic and witty nature was very true to my own at the time. We had the same childlike wonder and ability to see beyond the surface, with a soft spot for the underdog.

Can you tell us about some of the other films and TV shows you’ve worked on over your career so far, which have included Just Add Magic: Mystery City, Kingdom Hearts III, Yellow Day and Shake It Up?

I’ve had the immense blessing to be part of so many lovely projects over the course of my career! For a full list, feel free to check out my IMDb.

With every project, what really makes it special is the people. Storytelling is great, but it’s the team around you that brings it to life. Each person adds a bit of themselves to it all. From the writers, prop master and background actors. That is one of the things I love most about film. I’m so honoured to have worked with several beautiful people over the years, many of whom have left lifelong impacts not only on my career but my life as well.

Yellow Day is a project where that is especially true. It may not be the first movie people think of me being in, but it is a movie that is very near and dear to my heart. It’s about a man, who meets a girl and ends up at a summer camp hoping to find her again. It’s a story about finding love but also about finding faith, grace and experiencing your own sunshiny Yellow Day.

What people may not know is the camp from the movie, Camp Grace, is a real place in Mobile, Alabama. I spent time shooting there and many summers afterward. Camp Grace hosts various camps throughout the summer, including Camp M.A.S.H. (Make Arthritis Stop Hurting), a camp for kids with juvenile arthritis. The Pilot family, the owners of Camp Grace, allowed me to come back for years as a junior counsellor. Never have I met a more generous, compassionate and truly astounding family. They reflect God’s heart in so many ways.

Another thing is the girl, Krisanna, who is mentioned in the movie was also a real person. Krisanna Roberts was a light of pure joy who coined the phrase “Yellow Day”. As she went through treatment for a rare brain tumor, she would categorise her days in shades of yellow. Though she passed away in 2009, her light still shines on. Her story and getting to know her mom, Laura, had such a deep impact on me as a child and still does as an adult.

Shooting Yellow Day was, in itself, a magical yellow day in my life. I got to meet so many beautiful people who touched my heart. Talk about a blessing!

How did you originally get into screen acting and voiceover and did you always know you wanted a career in the industry?

That is a long story! We may not have the character space, so let me try to keep it brief! I grew up in rural Texas, far away from the lights of Hollywood. For as long as I can remember, I loved telling stories and loved movies. By age two, I wanted to be a film director. Only thing is, my parents aren’t in the filmmaking world, like, at all. So through a series of divinely opened doors, I ended up getting an agent and booking Aliens in the Attic. I started going between Texas and Los Angeles in 2009 and the rest is history!

Without my parents, I wouldn’t be where I am or, more importantly, who I am today. They inspire me in so many ways, especially in the people they are. They are loving, brilliant, diligent, compassionate and their love for the Lord is what has always impacted me most. Truly, they are one of the greatest blessings in my life. I am beyond grateful to have them as my parents. Even in their belief in me and profound encouragement, they always call me out when I need it (and sometimes I really need it, haha)!

Ultimately, I can’t give the credit for my career to anyone other than God. He alone opened every door I’ve had the opportunity to walk through. From the door of a mall baby contest, to the one at Fox Studios. When I look back, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed at His immense kindness. I’ve gotten to pursue my dreams for a majority of my life, without deserving any of it. He has protected and provided in ways I am so quick to take for granted. Yet even in that, He is so gracious and kind. As I look forward to what lies ahead, the same is true. He alone gets the glory!

What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?

Right now, I’m on a bit of a Frank Capra kick, as well as 90s rom-coms for some reason! As for TV, I’m looking forward to the new season of The Chosen and have been revisiting some of my childhood favourites. The most recent are Kim Possible, Shaun the Sheep and Phineas and Ferb. I’m also a pretty huge Star Wars nerd, thanks to my dad 😃

How do you like to spend your free time?

When I’m not feeling social – I love to spend my free time reading, writing, journaling and going on Biblical deep dives with my cats. Preferably all while being in my happy place; a hammock in the trees with a view of the water. Mario Kart is pretty great too.

As for the social times – chatting with my parents over a cup of tea or coffee, spending hours with my friends talking about anything and everything, and attempting to play co-op video games that make me want to scream (looking at you, Bread & Fred… you too, Overcooked).

Do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about and what are you hoping 2025 brings for you?

Unfortunately, at this point I can’t say too much about the projects I’m working on. But there are some very exciting things coming soon I can’t wait to share! Stay tuned to my social media to be in the loop on all the fun!

My hope for 2025 is that I would have the boldness to walk through the doors that God continues to open, follow His will and reflect His joy to those around me. There has been a lot of change already, personally and professionally, but as a wise man once told me, “Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s bad”. I can’t wait to see all that lies ahead!

Follow Ashley on:

X

Instagram

Facebook

www.boettcherash.com