Jakari Fraser is set to become the new voice of AJ in Nickelodeon's hit CG-animated preschool series Blaze and the Monster Machines! The young actor will be making his debut as Blaze's human best friend and driver in the new episode “Sir Blaze and the Unicorn”, premiering Friday, March 12 at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT), taking the reigns over from Ramone Hamilton.
"Jakari Fraser is the voice of AJ in Nickelodeon’s hit preschool series Blaze and the Monster Machines," said Nickelodeon, adding "Blaze’s best pal and driver, AJ is a technology expert who knows all about different machines and how they work. With AJ behind the wheel, Blaze is able to meet every challenge head on with scientific thinking."
To celebrate his new role, Fraser recently chatted with BSCKids about Blaze and the Monster Machines as well as a bit about his career!
Jakari, tell us a bit about your role as AJ on Blaze and the Monster Machines.
Jakari Fraser: AJ is such a fun and energetic character. He reminds me a lot of myself. He’s always helping to solve problems and he loves to engage with the audience.
How did you get the part?
It’s really funny because I actually didn’t get the initial audition and my agent called my mom and said, “Did you guys send in the AJ audition?” and my mom said, “We didn’t get it.” I was so excited to hear that I was able to audition for the part. I always put my best foot forward, so I did the same in this audition. When I received the callback, I was so excited. This was right before lockdown, so I went in person and I had a really good feeling about it when I left. Next thing you know, my agent called my mom and I felt as if my dream came true because I always wanted to be on a Nickelodeon show!
What do you do to get in character for your role as AJ?
I actually sit down with my five-year-old sister and run lines with her as if she’s my preschool audience. It really helps me know what keeps them engaged and when my delivery is correct, because if she tells me she still doesn’t understand a term, I have to give a different delivery or adjust something. Charlie Adler, the voice director, is really great at helping me get into character because he runs lines as if we are reenacting the episode. He makes it really fun!
Do you find voice acting harder than live action?
Absolutely. With voiceover you have to make sure your voice matches the movement of the character without actually moving. You have to also convince the audience with just your voice and that’s a lot harder than it sounds. I have so much fun doing voiceovers. I get excited to get into character and bring a character to life using just my voice!
Jakari, who do you think has taught you the most about acting so far?
Hmmmm that’s a hard one. My acting coach Ms. Sharra Dade and my mom would have to be my answer. They are both big on making sure I sound believable and real. They say, “Listen to this take and tell me if you believe it,” and when they play it back, I close my eyes and I say, “Nope, let’s do it again, I think I know what it’s missing.”
Tell us something people would be surprised to learn about you.
People will probably be surprised to learn that I do parkour, which is basically where you learn to jump from building to building, do your own stunts and do really cool flips and tricks.
If you could guest star on any other Nickelodeon show which one would it be and why?
Definitely The Loud House! I simply love The Loud House and I watch it every day. It’s so funny.
What makes Blaze and the Monster Machines different and why should everyone be tuning in?
Blaze and the Monster Machines has so many fun adventures and exciting episodes. There is so much for the audience to learn and engage with. It’s also great for people to tune in to see what adventure Blaze and AJ will go on next. The audience gets to help us when we can’t find things and it’s just very fun and exciting.
Make sure to tune in to “Sir Blaze and the Unicorn” on Nick Jr.!
In the brand-new episode “Sir Blaze and the Unicorn,” airing Friday, March 12, at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon, Sir Blaze and Sir AJ embark on an epic quest to free a magical unicorn from an unpoppable bubble.
From The Virginian-Pilot:
A 10-year-old Virginia Beach boy is a star on the rise in Hollywood
Virginia Beach has a new star on the rise.
Meet 10-year-old Jakari Fraser. He’s been in the biz for half of his life, but he’s just getting started.
You might be familiar with some of his recent work. He voices the adventurous techie AJ on Nickelodeon’s “Monster Machines” — a CGI-animated show that teaches STEM skills — and plays the baby-faced Liam in the 2018 movie “Ben Is Back,” alongside Julia Roberts and Courtney B. Vance.
Fraser got his start when he was 5.
“I was watching TV and I went to my mom and said acting looks fun. I kinda want to try it,” he said.
His mom’s response?
“She said, boy, are you crazy?” Fraser said, laughing.
His mother, Jenny Fraser, took him seriously, though, and the family relocated to New York. In the ensuing months, his face popped up in print ads and commercials all over the place.
After his first string of success, Fraser said, his mom put him on a brief hiatus. Eager to make it to the big screen, he pressed her to help him find more challenging acting roles.
The break was “ruining his life,” Fraser said facetiously.
“My mom said OK, I’ll see what I can do.” .
Fraser went on to book roles in two made-for-TV movies, “Dinner for Two” and “Baking Christmas,” which he said his younger sisters became fast fans of because of its holiday theme. He also appeared in two TV series, “The Bobby Brown Story” and “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.”
In 2020, he appeared in two more films, “Superintelligence,” starring Melissa McCarthy and Bobby Cannavale, and “Embattled,” starring Donald Faison, Stephen Dorff and Elizabeth Reaser.
But for him, nothing compares to working on “Ben Is Back.”
“We had snowball fights and it was just a fun movie overall,” Fraser gushed. “And Julia Roberts is the sweetest person I’ve ever met.”
Roberts and Fraser connected over their left-handedness, he said, and became close friends while filming. So much so that after the cameras shut down, she gave him a stuffed animal that once belonged to her son, Phinnaeus “Finn” Moder.
“I still have it and I sleep with it to this day,” Fraser said.
His biggest surprise came when he landed the role of AJ. Even though Fraser said he slayed the audition, the phone call from his agent was unexpected.
“I was just screaming,” Fraser said.
Of all his roles, Fraser said he identifies with his animated character most. They’re both adventurous, funny and like to teach people cool things.
“I really like to help out my friends and so does AJ,” he said.
As for his real-life friends, they like to check out Fraser’s work. He gets a kick each time a friend messages him they’ve watched one of his acting endeavors.
When he’s not on set somewhere, Fraser said, he’s likely at his family’s California home skateboarding, doing parkour or eating pepperoni pizza like his favorite on-screen characters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
“I’m gonna be honest right now, I was only introduced to pizza because of the Ninja Turtles, and I love it,” he said.
He also loves the beach, but West Coast beaches are too cold, he said. He’s eager to visit his hometown beaches later this year so he can take a dip in warmer waters.
His next appearance will be on ABC’s “Station 19” in the coming weeks. After that, Fraser said he has some big projects coming up, but he signed non-disclosure agreements and can’t talk about any of it just yet.
“It’s kind of hard to keep a secret, but trust me, the new shows are huge!”
Follow Fraser on Instagram (@jakarifraser), Facebook (facebook.com/jakarifraser18) and Twitter (@jakarifraser).
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Originally published: Thursday, March 11, 2021.
