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Young actress thrives as voice of Nickelodeon heroine

By Stefanie Scott

May 6, 2009

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Courtesty of Nick Jr.

A still from the new Nickelodeon show "Ni Hao Kai-lan." Pictured (l to r) are Kai-lan and YeYe.

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With her ear-to-ear grin, tiny frame and long, black ponytail that bounces as she walks, Jade-Lianna Peters looks as cute as a cartoon. Add in her high-pitched voice and talkative demeanor and it becomes obvious why executives from kids television channel Nickelodeon selected the Wauwatosa girl as the personality behind their animated character Kai-lan.

Jade-Lianna spends at least three hours per week in a local studio recording lines for "Ni Hao, Kai-lan," a show about the adventures of 5-year-old Kai-lan Chow, an adventurous bilingual preschooler who lives in a world infused with Chinese culture. Accompanied by her grandfather and animal friends, Kai-lan teaches Mandarin language and teaches lessons in dealing with emotions like disappointment and jealousy.

While she has taken many acting classes, she finds playing Kai-lan comes naturally.

"I get to be myself," the 12-year-old girl said. "We have the same personality, and we're both intelligent. She is always helping her friends and every time my friends need help, I try to help them with their problems."

Although Jade-Lianna tends to get tired of the comparison, viewers often refer to Kai-lan as the Chinese "Dora the Explorer," and the two shows typically vie for the title of the network's most-watched show.

Popularity could skyrocket

While the cartoon premiered in March 2008, this will likely be the year when Kai-lan becomes a household name among the preschool set thanks to the start of the show's second season and a variety of toys - from video games to a tricycle, dolls to board games - many of which feature the sound of Jade-Lianna's voice.

"We're going to have a room that's Kai-Lan stuff," Jade-Lianna said.

She has been learning Mandarin from a private tutor hired by Nickelodeon. Although she was born in China, English has always been her first language. She's also fluent in French, attending Milwaukee's French Immersion School followed by the Milwaukee School of Languages.

The Nickelodeon folks have proven very accommodating, said Jade-Lianna's mother, Kathleen "Candy" Peters. While the voices behind the network's other characters live and work out of Los Angeles and New York, Jade-Lianna has been allowed to stay in her hometown.

Peters said it was a cost-of-living matter and having to turn the family's life upside down. She was ready to turn down the network, but through discussions they realized her daughter could record at Video Wisconsin in Brookfield.

On April 29, Jade-Lianna was working on episodes for the third season. While she had recorded most of this particular show several months earlier, she was fixing lines that were changed or needed a different inflection. After reading one line three times, she was asked to give it another try.

"The pronunciation was perfect, but this time add a smile to your voice," a Nickelodeon executive said via teleconference.

After a swig of water and a deep breath, Jade-Lianna delivered the line with even more energy and enthusiasm, garnering the approval of the adults.

'That's Kai-Lan'

Although she did not know it at the time, Jade-Lianna wowed the networks' talent finders from the minute she walked into the Chicago audition three years ago.

"They told me, 'We heard her voice and we said that's her, that's Kai-Lan,'" Peters said.

While Kai-lan lands Jade-Lianna international exposure, she's done a variety of commercials and plays since age 2 when she was noticed on an escalator at Grand Avenue Mall by a Welch's talent scout looking to cast a commercial.

Peters says her daughter is very humble and rarely toots her own horn about her job, but she and younger sister, Alexis-Mariah, do like to watch Kai-Lan and play the video games. But they're just as apt to make up their own skits using "funny voices" and "silly stories."

She also enjoys drawing pictures of Kai-lan and playing with her four dogs, one of which is named after the cartoon character.

Stefanie Scott can be reached at (262) 446-6618.