Although it may sound comfortable to benefit from the money your children made, Mr. and Mrs. Nagai fear that entertainment world may ruin their children’s judgment and they will go on the wrong path. There are a lot of examples of little artists that were famous during their childhood and became unrecognizable as teenagers. Fame comes with a lot of risks. This is why Jordan’s parents considered that it is best for him and his brother to follow this path only after they grow up. They hope that they will be sufficiently mature in order to distinguish right from wrong.

Career

Jordan Nagai received in 2010 the Breakout Performance Award. Because he was so young, he had only two opportunities in the movie industry. He was the voice of Russell (in Up -2009), and Charlie (The Simpsons, episode “O Brother, Where Bart Thou). His net worth after these performances remains unknown, as his parents are trying to keep this kind of information private.

UP (2009)

Is a 3D animation produced by Pixar Animations and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It presents the story of an old man, named Carl Fredricksen and his young companion Russell. Carl made a promise to his wife Ellie, and in order to do that, he goes to visit the wild South America. He does it in a unique way – by tying thousands of balloons to his house.

The movie was very well received by the public, and as a result it was won 2 awards at the 82nd Academy Awards, Best Original Score, Best Animated Feature Film at the 67th Golden Globe Awards, 8 nominalizations and 2 awards at Annie Awards. Up received the Golden Tomato from Rotten Tomatoes, for the best reviewed animated film.

Jordan Nagai won the Breakout Performance Award at the 4th East West Players 44th Anniversary Visionary Awards and Silent Auction. The same organization awarded Up for supporting an Asian American lead.

A fun fact is that when the auditions took place, there were over 400 children present. For this movie, Hunter was supposed to be the one auditioning, but Jordan stood out from the crowd. People present at the audition say that Jordan was speaking all the time. Although he auditioned instead of his brother, Hunter doesn’t seem to hold a grudge against his brother. Director Pete Docter said that even though he was speaking all the time, when it came down to do the job, Jordan became nervous and sometimes wouldn’t read all the lines. Or he was shy and did not match the tone and attitude that were needed for the character.

In present, Jordan Nagai is attending high-school, and for the moment is retreated from the spotlight.