Why I look up to Jodi Benson
If you were to ask someone who they look up to, chances are they would say somebody like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Barack Obama, or Chris Pratt. As for me, the person I’ve been looking up to the most since 2014 is a woman named Jodi Benson. If you’re unfamiliar with who she is, she’s provided both the speaking and singing voice of Ariel, The Little Mermaid, since the animated classic hit theaters in 1989. She’s voiced the character many times for many different projects: a Little Mermaid animated prequel series. which ran from 1992–1994, two straight-to-DVD sequels, the video game Kingdom Hearts and its second installment, Mickey Mouse’s House of Mouse, Sophia the First, and, most recently, the movie Ralph Breaks The Internet.
But that’s not the only work she’s known for. For instance, Jodi was once a star on Broadway, starring in musicals such as Smile, and the short lived Welcome to the Club. She’s also provided the voices for Barbie in the Toy Story franchise, Thumbelina in the 1994 animated film Thumbelina, as well as characters from multiple different animated films and shows (many of which I’ve never seen) that you may not even remember including Camp Lazlo, Joseph: King of Dreams, Pirates of Dark Water, and even a rare, hilariously terrible Christmas special that my brother showed to me, titled Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa. (Btw, Mark Hamill provided a voice for that special too. Why? HAHA!). Well, at least she always has Little Mermaid to fall back on.
Anyway, I could talk about Jodi’s voice over work for hours, but I would instead like to talk about the actual reason I look up to Jodi, and that’s just how awesome of a person she is. Let’s start with her personality. Jodi has made it a habit of spreading kindness to those around her, and in more ways than one. Lately, Jodi has been attending fan conventions around the country, and while most celebrity guests spend less than a minute talking with fans, that’s not what Jodi prefers to do. One thing she always loves talking about is how much she adores her fans, and her actions prove it. It’s clear that her fans genuinely mean a lot to her. She will talk to every individual person that comes to her table for five minutes or more if they have a story to tell, and some fans understandably end up shedding plenty of tears (which is why she always keeps a tissue box at her table). And I’ve experienced this first hand. I got the opportunity to meet her last summer, which we will get to later.
Also, if you think that conventions are the only places she chooses to talk with fans, you are mistaken. Even when she gets recognized by fans in public (which has happened more than once), Jodi is always kind enough to either take a picture or have a conversation. Jodi will listen to you and she will take everything you say to heart. For instance, during one of her most recent convention appearances, one fan talked about his coming out story with her, and while he didn’t reveal many details in his Instagram post, he did say that Jodi was very sweet and understanding towards him. Many celebrities don’t have a big enough heart to listen closely to fans who look up to them, and the fact that Jodi does is simply heartwarming.
One thing in particular that has really touched my heart is that many of her fans have Autism, and some have learned to speak from watching The Little Mermaid. As somebody who was born with Autism, hearing Jodi talk about how much that means to her makes me feel even more like I matter. Because there are people who aren’t that considerate towards people on the spectrum — heck, some people consider us as freaks or accidents, as opposed to simply being born different. So, to hear Jodi tell it, people on the spectrum matter, and that’s a message I support any day.
This actually brings me to my next reason for looking up to her: her opinions. As many of you probably know, Disney is currently developing a live-action Little Mermaid movie, and young actress Halle Bailey has been cast as Ariel. Initially, many praised the choice of Bailey as their new Little Mermaid, but this announcement left many-a-white unhappy, as people began leaving racist remarks about this casting choice. Ariel has traditionally been represented as white, and some claimed that Bailey was unfit to play Ariel due to her African American heritage, and even created a heinous twitter hashtag, #NotMyAriel. Obviously, those complaints are ridiculous, but nevertheless, the anger is out there. During one of Jodi’s recent appearances at Florida Supercon, she was asked about her thoughts surrounding Halle’s casting, and this was her response:
“Y’know, I think that the most important thing is to tell the story. And we have, as a family, we have raised our children, and for ourselves that we don’t see anything that’s different on the outside. And I think that from the spirit of the character is what really matters. What you bring to the table in a character as far as their heart and their spirit is what really counts. And the outside package — ’cause let’s face it, I’m really, really old — so when I’m singing Part Of Your World, if you were to judge me by the way that I look on the outside, it might change the way that you interpret the song, but if you close your eyes, you can hear the spirit of Ariel. So, I think the most important thing for a film is to be able to be able to tell a story. We need to be storytellers, and no matter what we look like on the outside. No matter our race, our religion, the color of our skin, our dialect, whether I’m tall or thin, whether I’m overweight or underweight, or my hair is whatever color, we really need to tell the story. And that’s what we want to do. We want to make a connection to the audience, so I know for Disney, that they have the heart of storytelling. That’s really what they’re trying to do. They want to communicate with us and the audience so that we can fall in love with the film again.”
In a world that is surrounded by racism, sexism, and unnecessary public shaming, that is an INCREDIBLE breath of fresh air! And she’s right that heart and spirit are what really count when it comes to the character of Ariel. And she’s also right that if you close your eyes, you can absolutely hear the spirit of the character, and if you haven’t heard Halle Bailey’s singing, trust me when I say it’s gorgeous, and I can totally see her as Ariel.
My next reason for looking up to Jodi is because she is not doing this for fame. Here’s the thing. Those who have become household names are undeniably famous. And some of those household names think themselves above others, which is terrible. So, who’s someone that could be considered a public figure, that doesn’t think herself above others? You already know my answer. Now, my main source for this came from an interview that Jodi did with a website called Theatreartlife.com, in which she talks about her life, her husband Ray, motherhood, the music industry, and more. This interview is actually fantastic, and I highly recommend reading it. But for now, back to my reason. When Theatreartlife asked her what the keys were to a long, successful music career, Jodi had this to say:
“I never wanted to be famous, if people asked me what I wanted to be, I’d say I want to be a working actor, I want to sing, dance, and act, and make a living paying my bills. Do what I love and do my craft, because I felt like that’s what God had gifted me with and I wanted to use my gifts. I never said, because I want to make money or because I want to be famous. I don’t even know what that means, what does it mean to be famous, like to be a household name? I don’t really want to be a household name. I want to have a life and be a mom and go to the grocery store. I notice high school and college age kids right now are all about mostly money and fame, and that is such a destructive path to go down because you’re going to be miserable. You really need to find what your passions are, you need to find that sweet spot.”
She’s right. So many high school and college kids are about fame and fortune, and if that’s how they live their life, they won’t make it far. Sadly, many have gone down that path, and while some achieved their dream of becoming rich, they don’t achieve happiness. So, I think it’s important to listen to someone like Jodi who knows what she’s talking about, and take her advice to heart. Because honestly, what is the purpose of being famous? What’s the endgame?
My next reason for looking up to Jodi is actually made up of two things that tie together: her story about her past struggles, and her strong faith in Jesus. Now, let me be clear that she is not one of those Christians that’s always trying to force others to be Christian. She respects people from all other religions, as she should. But Jodi has been extremely open about her faith, and how it’s impacted her. And boy, it has impacted her. Jodi’s choice to follow God has really made a difference in her life in many different ways. She’s made it clear that God has guided her through much of her life, whether it involves her career, the way she treats people, her family life, or life decisions that could have changed everything. When I say everything, I really do mean it, because Jodi once went through a phase where she was dealing with suicidal thoughts, which is something I very much relate to. When my mom and I attended Jodi’s Q@A at GalaxyCon in North Carolina, my mom mentioned to her that Jodi had been open about past struggles, and asked what advice she would have for anyone who has gone through, or is going through, something similar. Jodi gave her this response:
“Right after The Little Mermaid came out, I had a very difficult dark season of my life where I had separated from my husband, and was battling depression and suicide issues, which were VERY very painful at the time, especially coming right after such a joyous experience of The Little Mermaid. 1990 was a very dark year for me. That’s when I really clung to my faith, and when I made that decision that life is worth living, and that God has a plan for me, and I’m gonna get through this really hard time. Depression, and battling suicide thoughts and issues, is no laughing matter. It’s really painful, very difficult, and I know that Evan and his mom have been through that journey as well. So I, as a believer, I had to cling to my faith, and to know that God had something great in store. My husband was amazing, walking through that journey with me, and we reunited after 18 months of being apart, and I got on the road to being healthy, and I’m very grateful, I’m so thankful that I’m here. And it’s amazing when I think about that I have two amazing kids, and when I look at them, I just think ‘Wow. Making those decisions and choices back then, I wouldn’t have these two amazing kids’. So, God definitely did have an incredible plan, so for those of you have struggled like Evan and myself, there’s hope. There really is. I’m so grateful to have come through on the other side, and so thankful that God plucked me out of the dark.”
That’s incredible for many reasons, but most importantly to me, the fact that Jodi decided to turn her attention to God during such a hard time is something that I believe I can learn from. In fact, it might be the thing I admire about her the most. Because, even though I come from a family of Christians, I sometimes struggle with my faith. However, Jodi’s story has become one of my biggest reminders that God is real, and that he does have a plan for us. Because the fact that she went through such a horrible period, in which she wanted to kill herself, and used her newly found faith to climb out of that pit, and get to where she is now, is truly something to admire. She will often post quotes from the Bible on her Instagram story, and whenever she does, it’s very heartwarming and calming to me, as someone who struggles with anxiety and depression.
I know what you might be thinking: Evan, aren’t all of these reasons for looking up to her just for being a normal person? Yes, but that’s a big part of why she’s important to me. As I mentioned before, I got to meet her last July, and when I did, I read her a long letter that I wrote for her. As I read it, she listened, took in every word I said, and even teared up (which I found very surprising, because usually it’s her fans that need the tissues when they meet her). Jodi proceeded to give me a big long hug, and told me I was a part of God’s plan for her that day. After pulling my mom over, we talked with her about my past suicide attempt, and that’s when she first told us that she had been there too. Jodi then asked if she could pray with my mom and me, which we did. Jodi even went on to say that we had become friends, which made my heart fill with joy.
By doing all of those things, Jodi proved what I already believed: she is a loving soul with a heart of gold. The fact that she’s Ariel is just a bonus. The key word that comes to mind when I think of Jodi isn’t Ariel, it’s kindness. It takes effort to be as kind, thoughtful, and uplifting as she is, whether that’s to her children, her fans, her co-workers, or people with disabilities like myself. Ariel is an awesome character, and my favorite of the Disney Princesses, but Jodi Benson, the human being, survivor of depression, and child of God who goes out of her way to make others’ days better means so much more to me.
