To say it’s been a big year for 13-year-old entertainer Rain Janjua is an understatement.
The Mississauga teen, who successfully convinced his cautious parents to allow him to cultivate his singing and acting talent on a stage far bigger than the one in his elementary school, has just received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for best voice performance for his role as Daniel Tiger in the popular children’s series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
Janjua with a Daniel Tiger plush. Photo by CJ Creating.
Not only that, the budding performer is voicing beloved police pup Chase in the upcoming PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, which will hit theatres this August. The third feature film in the popular children’s franchise also stars Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Bill Nye, Terry Crews and McKenna Grace.
Last year, Janjua appeared in the Toronto International Film Festival-selected short Sea Star and prior to that, he voiced Gekko in PJ Masks: Power Heroes and played starring roles in CBC’s Go Togo! And Work It Out Wombats!
The young thespian, smiling with a perfectly placed PJ Masks plush behind him, glows with optimism and excitement and is more than happy to talk about how he parlayed an interest into creating YouTube content into a film and television career.
“Originally, before I was an actor, I wanted to be a YouTuber,” he tells INsauga.com.
“I wanted to have my own YouTube channel and then I asked my parents, and they were really against it. I remember I made, like, a whole speech about why I should do it and why I should do acting, maybe not necessarily a YouTube channel. After, they were still a little hesitant, but they agreed.”
After that, Janjua went from chewing the scenery in kindergarten plays to auditioning for major roles around the time the pandemic hit. He remembers finding out about an opportunity to voice a character in PJ Masks–a children’s superhero show that he was already a fan of–and sending a tape, recorded by his mom, to the studio,
“I remember my mom would have, like, her phone and would record my voiceover audition in a little closet. We sent it in, and then I got a call back and then after I booked it, I went into the studio in Toronto,” he says.
Janjua says locking down the role prompted a mix of emotions.
Janjua poses with Gekko, Daniel Tiger and Chase toys
“I was feeling, like, everything. I had watched a lot of PJ Masks when I was younger. I thought it was really cool and really amazing and really exciting, so I was just feeling all the happy emotions. I was bewildered.”
Janjua, who is also a musician who recently released an original hip-hop track titled The RAiNaissance, says that voice acting is particularly unique in the sense that, while it can be a bit tiring on the vocal cords, the off-camera aspect allows a wider range of movements that can help him emote without worrying about how he looks.
“I’d say the best part is that you don’t necessarily have to make sure you always look the best,” he says, adding that that doesn’t mean he doesn’t try to look his best personally and professionally.
“When you’re doing voice acting, I found that going crazy and, like, using big facial expressions and throwing my arms everywhere can bring a lot more emotion in scenes. So I feel like it’s good to not have to make sure you look camera perfect.”
The skills he’s refined along the way helped lock down the role of Chase–a role that he says might be one of his most exciting to date.
“When I first did the audition, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is pretty crazy,’ and realistically, I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m gonna get this,’ and then when I actually got it, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is super crazy.’”
Much like PJ Masks, PAW Patrol was a franchise the young actor was very familiar with from his days watching the show as a much younger child.
“PAW Patrol, I think I watched the most as a little kid. I watched the TV shows and the short movies. I watched the spinoffs, I watched everything. I think it was like probably the most excited I’ve ever been to book a role because of how huge it is,” he says, adding that he was up against a ton of competition during the audition phase.
“It was really crazy to find out that I got it.”
As for how his friends and family have reacted to the upcoming PAW Patrol release, Janjua admits there’s been some light teasing from his classmates.
“My family was really happy for me and I’d say my friends, they were also excited, but they were also teasing me about it and stuff because, you know, it’s not the typical thing for a 13-year-old to do,” he says.
As for the Canadian Screen Awards, which will be hosted by Kim’s Convenience alum Andrew Phung on May 31 in Toronto, Janjua says he was shocked to get the nomination and is excited to attend the party and show off a new suit.
“I’m really excited and proud of myself, I just can’t wait for it. I have a nice suit picked out,” he says.
As for what the future holds beyond the award show, Janjua says that while it’s impossible to know how the future will play out–especially with high school and eventually college coming up–he hopes to adapt and grow into his role as an entertainer.
“I’m getting towards that age where my voice is gonna start changing, but I definitely want to get into some more on-camera roles, maybe some movies or TV shows. Aside from acting, I also might want to start making beats for songs and producing music.”
Other than that, he just hopes people come out to see PAW Patrol this summer.
“Come see PAW Patrol. It’s dropping this summer. It’s a great, great movie.”
All photos by CJ Creating
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