Holly Chou will take on the voice of Jubilee in the upcoming revival, X-Men 97, replacing Alyson Court who lent her voice to the character in the iconic X-Men: The Animated Series.
Court, a Canadian actor, stated she is no longer comfortable voicing a character of a different ethnicity. In a 2020 social media post, she explained her decision, acknowledging that the role should be played by an Asian-American actor to best represent the character. Court also admitted she was unaware of Jubilee’s ethnicity when she originally auditioned for the role.
Read more: Oscar Winner Ke Huy Quan Stars as the Lead in Action Film ‘With Love’, Set For 2025 Release
“At the time of my audition, I didn’t know anything about the X-Men… I actually didn’t know that [Jubilee] was Asian,” Court recalled at a fan event. “It was never mentioned in her character description. It was never something that was focused on. It was actually years later that I found out she was Asian-American.”
Upon learning more about Jubilee’s background, Court expressed relief that fans of the series had not been offended by her portrayal. She has since become a vocal advocate for more diverse casting in animation and has encouraged other voice actors to consider the ethnicity of the characters they portray.
Read more: ‘Expats’ Star Brian Tee Joins ‘Reacher’ Season 3
Chou also voiced characters in the Netflix series Blue Eye Samurai and video games Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores.
X-Men ’97 will premiere on Disney+ on 20 March 2024 with its first two episodes.
