New photos have recently been released from the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action remake and fans of the franchise can't get enough. Throughout its initial run on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008, Avatar: The Last Airbender become not only one of the channel's most beloved animated shows, but has since become a global phenomenon, spawning a sequel series, The Legend of Korra, and several ongoing comic book series, as well as the upcoming live-action adaptation. The show was a true masterclass in animated TV with its phenomenal writing, animation, and most of all, its voice acting.
The show itself is arguably more popular now than it was when it initially aired, but what has that success meant for its voice cast? What else have they been working on within the last 14 years?
Zack Tyler Eisen: Aang
When it came to the casting of Aang, the titular Avatar (master of all four elements) and last Airbender, Zack Tyler Eisen's voice couldn't have been more fitting. His voice brought both the sweet innocence and optimistic bravery to the character that made him such a lovable and endearing protagonist.
After the show ended in 2008, it seemed that Eisen had no further interest in the continuation of his acting career, as he has yet to appear or voice act in anything else since. Fans can rest easy about his well-being, though. He graduated from Syracuse University and now works behind the scenes on independent projects. Despite his retirement from acting, it's nice to know that he still holds both the show and its fans in high regard, as he has recently participated in a few virtual reunions with other cast members.
Mae Whitman: Katara
Before Avatar, Mae Whitman already had a lot of success as a child actor, playing the president's daughter in Independence Day and Ann on Arrested Development. As the voice of Katara, Sokka's water-bending sister and Aang's love interest, she gave an impressively mature performance that perfectly reflected all of the character's greatest strengths and weaknesses.
Out of the rest of the main cast, Whitman certainly seems to have had the most successful post-Avatar career. She's since continued her work in voice acting (most notably as Disney's Tinker Bell) and has appeared in live-action films such as Scott Pilgrim vs the World and The DUFF, as well as one of the leads on the NBC comedy series Good Girls.
Jack DeSena: Sokka
While his time as a cast member on Nickelodeon's sketch comedy show, All That, was coming to end with its cancellation, Jack DeSena soon found himself taking his comedic talents behind the microphone while voicing Sokka, Katara's older non-bender brother. His high energy and improvisational skills translated extremely well into the character and were directly responsible for some of Avatar's funniest quotes.
DeSena has since attended UCLA, before becoming a member of the famed L.A. improv comedy group, The Groundlings, and starting a YouTube channel "Jack and Chris" with his friend, Chris Smith. Since 2018, he has reunited with Avatar head writer and co-producer Aaron Ehasz, voicing the character Callum on Ehasz's animated Netflix fantasy series, The Dragon Prince.
Jesse Flower: Toph Beifong
While she wasn't introduced until the second season, Toph Beifong became an immediate fan-favorite character. With actress Jessie Flower giving her voice to the blind Earthbender, there's no doubt that the character's sarcasm and hilariously brutal honesty wouldn't have been nearly as effective without Flower's performance.
After the show, Flower (who now works under the name "Michaela Jill Murphy") took a hiatus from acting to focus on her education and graduated from Yale University. Since then, she's done work on several short films and found herself back behind the microphone in 2021, voicing the character Nasse on the English dub of the anime series, Platinum End.
Dante Basco: Prince Zuko
Kids of the '90s may recognize Dante Basco as Rufio from Steven Spielberg's Hook, but kids of the 2000s may find his voice to be more recognizable as the voice of antagonist turned ally, Prince Zuko. Not only did Zuko have one of Avatar's best character arcs, but Basco's performance gave the character heart and perfectly captured his inner complexities.
Basco has since done many independent film work and still dabbles in voice acting, also returning to the world of Avatar in 2012 as the voice of General Iroh II on The Legend of Korra. In 2021, he made his directorial debut with his film, The Fabulous Filipino Brothers, which he also co-wrote and starred in.
Mako: Uncle Iroh
Receiving a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination in 1967 for his role in The Sand Pebbles, Mako was a major trailblazer for Asian-American actors in Hollywood. Later in his career, he became more well-known for his roles in animation, and his gravelly, soft-spoken voice was the perfect fit for Iroh, Zuko's wise and an enlightened tea-loving Uncle, and a long-time fan-favorite character.
Towards the end of season 2's production, Mako tragically passed away from esophageal cancer and character actor Greg Baldwin inherited the role of Iroh in season 3. The show's creators had the season 2 episode "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" dedicated to his memory and even named the character Mako on The Legend of Korra after him to further honor his legacy.
Grey Delisle: Princess Azula
Equal parts cruel and unsympathetic, Zuko's sister Azula was one of those villains that viewers love to hate and proved throughout the series to be a rather formidable foe to Team Avatar. Famed voice actress Grey Delisle (also occasionally known as "Grey Griffin") is no stranger to voicing villains, and her talent for handling such characters truly shined in Azula's callous vocal delivery.
Since the show ended, Delisle's career hasn't slowed down one bit, as she continues to voice multiple roles on several animated shows such as Invincible and The Loud House. In 2019, following the untimely death of fellow voice actress, Russi Taylor, she was hired to take over the roles of Martin Prince and twins Sheri and Terri on The Simpsons.
Mark Hamill: Fire Lord Ozai
Thanks to his turn to voice acting, Mark Hamill has landed many more notable and iconic roles outside of Star Wars that have proven his worth and range as a performer. Alongside the Joker, Hamill's intimidating performance as Fire Lord Ozai, ruler of the Fire Nation, Zuko and Azula's tyrannical father, and the series' ultimate antagonist, has been considered one of his best villains roles.
Since the show's conclusion, Hamill's voice acting career has continued to flourish with major roles in shows like Regular Show and Masters of the Universe: Revelation. He's also returned to doing more prominent on-camera work with films like Kingsman: The Secret Service and reprising his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Jennie Kwan: Suki
As a supporting character, Suki was more than just Sokka's love interest, she was a skilled Kyoshi warrior and an ideal example of everything that a strong heroine should be. She was voiced by actress Jennie Kwan, whose performance helped bring all of her best qualities to life.
To this day, Kwan continues to find consistent work in both live-action and animated films and television. Much of her recent career has mainly centered around voice acting for the English dubs of numerous anime series, including Demon Slayer, and even in video games such as Red Dead Redemption 2.
Dee Bradley Baker: Momo & Appa
For those who are left uninitiated from Avatar: The Last Airbender, chances are pretty high that they've heard the voice of Dee Bradley Baker from somewhere else. With his unbelievable vocal cords, Baker provided the vocalizations for Aang's flying bison, Appa, and flying lemur, Momo, while also managing to give them both unique personalities.
With more than 600 credits to his resume, Baker continues to be one of the most prolific voice actors in the entertainment industry. From Spongebob Squarepants to American Dad!, his versatility knows no bounds and the impact he leaves with each and every role he tackles is undeniable.