Exactly 30 years ago, a little cartoon boy in loincloth jumped off trees, played with wolves and charmed the country with his antics. Mowgli has since appeared in many a film and series, but it was the 1989 anime version that the world first fell in love with. The Jungle Book: The Adventures of Mowgli, based on Rudyard Kipling's book, ran for 52 episodes and gathered a mass following. Indians are more familiar with the dubbed Hindi version of it, especially the opening song—Jungle jungle pata chala hai—penned by Gulzar and composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, which still triggers nostalgia in a generation of Indians.
In an interview with THE WEEK, Canadian actor Julian Bailey, who voiced Mowgli in the series, says the iconic character defines him even today. Now in his 30s, and having done many other projects, including NCIS and Just Shoot Me!, Bailey says it was fate that he got the role of Mowgli—he actually had a pet half-wolf at home! “Shonga treated me as if I was one of her own, always keeping an eye on me and growling any time strangers came close to me. She was only half-wolf, but that didn't stop me later on from telling people that I was raised by wolves.” Excerpts:
Do you remember the shoot?
One odd memory does stick out. A.J. Henderson, who voiced Baloo, also directed an episode. Well, during lunch one day, A.J. was sitting across from me, eating a hamburger and enjoying a cigarette or two. I recall finding myself inhaling way too much of his second-hand smoke. I couldn't have been much more than 14 and I can remember thinking, “I don't want to offend A.J., but this has got to be the least healthy I've ever felt while eating a salad!”
What was the biggest challenge of being Mowgli?
As Mowgli was in every episode, the time commitment was substantial. I missed a lot of school, but it was the kind of work that didn't feel like “work” because I enjoyed it so much. I suppose there were challenges to the role, such as avoiding stereotypes that could come with playing an iconic character, and keeping things fresh after so many episodes.
What makes you proud when you talk about the anime?
I wouldn't use the word pride, as much as gratitude. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to do that for a character as wonderful as Mowgli. [He] was one of my first major leads and I knew the show had international reach. Seeing how our work has stood the test of time, it makes me feel grateful for the gifts I've been given.
Tell us about some fun moments on the sets.
Every day working on that show was happy and fun, I'm not sure where I'd begin! At one point, we had a sound engineer, André, who was French-Canadian and had a strong Québecois accent when he spoke English. He stopped a take once and said, “Sorry, Julian, but there was some hair in the mic....” I said, “Hair? How is that possible?” At which point the director piped up and said, “I think what André is trying to say is that there was some 'air' in your mic.” I was at once relieved and trying to hold back the giggles.
What do you think of the 2016 Disney Jungle Book movie?
[It was] a very well done film. Making a movie on such a grand scale is no easy task. However, I’d be curious to see a version done with real animals! Now that would be a challenge!
