'I landed iconic 90s Nickelodeon show role after making big change to myself'

Things could have been so different for Jamil Walker Smith if it wasn't for one move at an important casting interview as a teen. The actor and director, now 43, was just 13 when he auditioned for a part in a show that became a huge mainstay of childhood entertainment.

His success saw him land the part as the voice of Gerald in hit 90s animated comedy, Hey Arnold. And he later went on to star on other hit shows, such as Sister, Sister andStargate Universe.

And talking to longtime pal and fellow voiceover actor on the show, Justin Shenkarow, Jamil revealed just how the role came about.

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Jamil joined Justin's Established in the 90s podcast that he hosts with Tom Borowski. Justin quickly told his pal: "You know, I never found out, what was it like when you auditioned for the show?"

Jamil replied: "What was it like? It was kinda weird. It was fun.... you know how it is. You go out for so many auditions you don't remember any of them and then you book one and you're just happy you're on it."

He continued: "I remember it was on the Sunset Strip [Los Angeles]. That's what I remember."

He explained he was 13 at the time of his audition and claimed he can't remember if they had a picture of the show at the time. Justin responded to say he was shown one, but Jamil went on: "I don't remember.

"I can tell you this, I know this. When I did my voice, I did it lower than my voice. So because of that, it's probably why I'm sitting here now because I probably would have been replaced after the first season because everyone's voices change.

Reminiscing, Justin admitted he did the same thing for his character, Harold the bully. And explaining why he feels Hey Arnold has lasted the test of time, Jamil said: "It's a cartoon but it's a TV show. It's like a sitcom. It's a series.

"It's like real kids doing real things having real experiences in a cartoon world... it was about something. So I think people are hungry, starving, for something that is about something."

He explained how the show had a lot of characters that people could relate to and weren't caricature. Jamil then opened up on the potential of the show making a return and said he feels Arnold's character grown up should be a counsellor.

He also joked Gerald should be the mayor of the city and while pals with his old friend, they could be involved in battles to make the show more of a drama.

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