Alexander Gould Reflects on His Journey as a Child Actor and His Exciting Return to Hollywood

Alexander Gould (left), Nemo.
Credit :

Barry King/Getty; Moviestore/Shutterstock

NEED TO KNOW

• Alexander Gould was cast as the voice of Nemo in Finding Nemo at the age of six.
• Following three years of work on the film, he transitioned to a role in Weeds.
• Gould discusses his experiences as a child actor and his return to acting.

Alexander Gould, who began his acting career at just two, received a significant opportunity when he was cast as the voice of Nemo in Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo at the age of six.

Growing up in a family of entertainers, Gould embraced acting early on. “I was working in very adult spaces at a very young age and did a lot of different small roles until I was around six, which is when I booked Finding Nemo,” he shared. “I was chosen from, I think, two or three thousand kids that they auditioned.” His family celebrated the casting team’s decision, believing his voice was the perfect fit for the character.

Nemo and Marlin.

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While he was aware he had secured a role in the film, Gould did not initially understand he would be voicing the main character until later in the process. “It took about a year for me to actually book the role from the time I auditioned for it. I knew it was a big Pixar film, so that was already exciting,” he explained. After some initial recordings, he discovered he would be voicing Nemo, the lead character.

The recording process turned out to be longer than expected. “I didn’t know I was going to be recording for the next three years and voicing the title character of this film. It was really neat,” he noted. Finding Nemo, released in 2003, became a major success, featuring notable voices including Albert Brooks as Marlin and Ellen DeGeneres as Dory. The film topped the domestic box office that year and later led to a sequel, Finding Dory, in 2016.

Gould expressed pride in his role as Nemo, reflecting on the unique experiences that came with it. “I got to see Pixar and work with all the people there. I got to be part of a film that’s honestly a huge classic,” he said. He has since continued acting and engaging with fans about his early experiences.

Mary-Louise Parker and Alexander Gould in “Weeds”.

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Transitioning from animation to live-action, Gould booked a role as Shane Botwin on the critically acclaimed series Weeds, created by Jenji Kohan. Reflecting on the contrast, Gould humorously remarked, “I went from being the most family-friendly movie of all time probably to the least family-friendly show,” acknowledging the challenges that came with this shift.

After Weeds concluded, Gould stepped away from acting for a while. Now, he is re-entering the industry and engaging more openly about his experiences growing up in Hollywood. “This is the first time I’m opening up and talking about my experience growing up in Hollywood,” he shared. He plans to launch a podcast early next year to facilitate conversations about child acting and share stories from his past in the industry.