November Supa-Star Veronica Taylor, the voice of fan-favourite characters such as Ash Ketchum from Pokémon and Sailor Pluto from Sailor Moon, has had an amazing career and an incredible voice-acting journey.

As part of this journey, she attended the first-ever Supanova in Sydney, way back in 2002! More than 20 years on, and with more than a few Supanova appearances in between, she returned for the penultimate 99th and milestone 100th Supanova events in Adelaide and Brisbane in November.

She kicked off her Brisbane panel by discussing her recent return to the Sailor Moon franchise, reprising her role as Sailor Pluto for the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos two-part movie for Netflix.

Sailor Pluto in ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos’ via Sailor Moon News

“It’s amazing to play Sailor Pluto. She’s a bit more controlled than I am. It’s really interesting to play a character that really feels things so deeply, yet she doesn’t know how to express herself or her feelings.”

Taylor has had many amazing moments in her career, not the least of which came from her tenure as the original English voice of Ash Ketchum. When asked about her most memorable moments as the Pokémon trainer, she took a second to contemplate.

“You know, I would have to say that this is among one of my most memorable times. To be here amongst all of you, who have followed Pokémon, some of you since the very beginning, it’s amazing to me.”

She continued, “We come together to a convention like this, and we come for our love of Pokémon, Ninja Turtles, or Sailor Moon; and we have so much in common. That, I think, is extraordinary.”

As Veronica tells it, whether you’re training to be an actor, writer, or any career whatsoever, there’s one constant among the various disciplines – it’s never easy at the beginning to break into one’s desired industry.

“You always need to be following your dreams. If you want to be an actor: act; if you want to be a voice actor, don’t limit yourself to voice acting only, because you never know what opportunities are going to come.”

She emphasised, “Do something, work on your craft every day. If you are an artist, writer, musician, or actor, do something with your craft, because you are always working on it. “

Pikachu and Ash in ‘Pokémon’

Taylor took us down memory lane, recalling her experience of when she was first introduced to the vibrant world of Pikachu and friends. “I remember auditioning for Pokémon, and we were allowed to watch a small clip. The energy was so fun, and the colours were so primary. It was something about it that I just loved. When I found I was cast I was over the moon.”

Despite landing the role of a lifetime, or many lifetimes, the road to success isn’t always paved with Roselias! As Taylor explained, “I was threatened to be replaced all the way from the beginning. So, I never relaxed. [The cast] worked to bring what they wanted. We started out by trying to get really close to the original sounds of the characters.”

Despite those initial setbacks, Taylor reiterated, “Pokémon has been one of the greatest jobs I have ever had because of the energy and positivity.”

Both Taylor and her beloved characters share an incredible legacy. Part of this legacy is also getting to meet fans at Supanova. She reminisced, “Since 2002, I have met some of you when you were ten, and now, some of you bring your own kids, that’s extraordinary.”

Taylor ended her panel by proclaiming, “Thank you so much for being here over the years, thank you for coming to this amazing 100th show. Brisbane, I choose you!”

Lead Image: Veronica Taylor on stage at Supanova 2024 – Brisbane. Photo by Issaro Kayunsumrutket.