was [honing a talent], I always did
funny voices and imitated what I
heard,” she says. “I used to hold my
mom’s hand when I was 6 and say,
‘Let’s pretend we’re from England in
the store.’ I can’t even explain why.”
Every stuffed and real animal she
encountered had a distinct voice,
she says. Before moving to L.A., she
took improv classes at Toronto’s
Second City.
Judaism also played a major role
in Strong’s childhood, especially
as the granddaughter of a cantor.
Strong’s mother and bubbie ran
the catering business in their syna-
gogue, so she ostensibly “grew up in
the giant kitchen at Beth Radom in
Toronto,” she says.
A member of the children’s choir
there, she sang in shul every Rosh
Chodesh. In fact, Strong’s first
professional acting role was in a
musical production at the Toronto
Yiddish Theater. Fluent in Hebrew
by the second grade, she didn’t
speak Yiddish, but learned it pho-
netically for the role.
“[Judaism was already] really a
huge, huge part of my childhood,”
she says. “Then I went on the March
of the Living. Of course that makes
you even more proud to be Jewish.
When you’re watching everyone
marching holding hands through
those gates, it just absolutely chang-
es your life forever,” Strong says.
Because her grandparents fled the
Jewish pogroms in Russia, the March
was especially significant for Strong,
as it is for so many. “My bubbie was
one of five sisters, and her parents
were pretty set on staying [in Russia].
She just had this gut feeling that if
she didn’t get them out of there they
were going to die,” Strong says. “I
don’t know how she did it, but at the
age of 16, [my bubbie] bought tickets
and forced her entire family onto a
boat. My great-grandmother said to
her, ‘If I die on this journey, it’s your
fault.’ And it really all fell on her. She
saved everyone. I have lots of [ fam-
ily] that perished, but my bloodline

goes on because she was so brave.”
Not one to take her life, or her
following, for granted, Strong fre-
quently uses her public social media
platforms for good. “My fans are so
sweet,” she says. “If you have 350,000
followers and everyone donated a
dollar to a cause — I love using my
Twitter for that.” In that way, she has
helped raise around $500,000 for
charity.
And she finds other ways to
assists others through her work.
“I’ve had many times where people
break down and tell me, ‘You got
me through my parents’ divorce,’ or
‘You helped me through my depres-
sion.’ Moments like that make it so
rewarding,” she says.
Compared to the realm of on-
camera acting, Strong describes the
world of voice-over as incredibly
warm and welcoming. “Everyone
that’s there deserves to be there
because they’re so talented,” she
says. “It’s not about what you look
like or who you know. When you’re
uber successful in this business, you
really have this amazing gift. I’m
impressed every single day by my
cohorts. It’s just a beautiful, support-
ive room. And we laugh so much. It’s
just fun.”
The effervescent and inclusive
attitude behind the scenes seeps
out and can be felt at the Comic
Conventions, or Comic Cons, she
often attends. Opportunities for fans
to meet the creators, publishers and
actors from their favorite comics, the
assemblies, Strong says, are massive,
crazy and silly, with some fans cry-
ing — or even fainting — when they
meet their favorite celebrities.
“Your eyes will see things you’ve
never seen before. The cosplay [“cos-
tume play”] is extraordinary. Some of
these kids work on these outfits for a
year. They’re incredible. They’re just
wild and they love it,” she gushes.
“The nice thing about these conven-
tions is nobody is a nerd and every-
body is a nerd. Nobody is ostracized
for being different.” •

Let Us Tell Your Story

For many weeks, the JN has been sharing stories of
local multi-generational families. We’ve heard from
a family of doctors, a family of mohels, a family of
volunteers and more. We know there are more of
you out there with stories to tell.

Please send a high-resolution image (1mb jpg)
of multiple generations in your family to kcohen@
renmedia.us with caption information that includes
full names, cities and when the photo was taken.
Let us know what’s special about your family, too.
Include your phone number and email, and please
put “multi-generation” in the subject line. If you have
a non-digital photo, send it and the other information
to Keri Guten Cohen, 29200 Northwestern Hwy.,
Suite 110, Southfi eld, MI 48034. We can return
your photo to you.

Thanks! We look forward
to sharing your family
with our JN family
of readers!

TOP, LEFT: Tara Strong.
BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT: Timmy Turner
from Fairly Oddparents. Raven from Teen
Titans Go! Twilight from My Pretty Pony.
Bubbles from Powerpuff Girls. Harley Quinn
from Batman: Arkham City.

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jn

May 17 • 2018

53