2019 Haley Joel Osment Talks Voicing Sora in Kingdom Hearts

This footage belongs to the Hollywood Reporter
In this interview, I caught Haley talking about the fun and the challenges of voicing Sora in Kingdom Hearts for so many years!

[@johnnysalery7383]

Young Haley=Sora Adult Haley=Vanitas

[@TheInfinityMaster1]

He has switched to the dark side! D:

[@sora034]

Johnny Salery Yo! 😂😂😂🤣

[@C_Train74]

Big fumble that neither one of them brought up Venitas, or how he was talking to himself for some scenes because he voiced both characters.

[@PaintSplashProductions]

I'm surprised he hasn't played more villains honestly. I love his Vanitas voice and he can pull off a great villain laugh

[@SebMegronski]

You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain

[@teriyaki_chicken]

It's been almost 2 decades and he still loves being Sora..we are so blessed as a community to have him

[@gearwat43]

Yeah sora may be a little childish but he is a loveable character

[@xenaduxyozora9988]

He is a good voice but I prefer the JP voice

[@cloudshines812]

I do hope this man retires soon though. He’s not really doing a good job voicing Sora anymore but I’ll always love him since 2006

[@jackaleope]

@@cloudshines812 wow, ive never seen someone be so wrong

[@cloudshines812]

@@jackaleope Wow. I can’t believe I can’t have an opinion. Welcome to youtube

[@dzmcroy]

It's always hilarious when people play the KH series for the first time and Sora first opens his mouth in Chain of Memories and they go "WHOA WHAT" because it's gone from a 12-year-old's voice to an 18-year-old's in literally 15 minutes of in-game time

[@robitussinbrohan718]

ZeiglerJaguar well he was actually 14 in kh1.

[@Daviskd94]

@@robitussinbrohan718 He's talking about the voice actor

[@stevencraeynest7729]

I always annoyed me to be honest. I mean it's no once fault. But it just sounds so wrong. I whish there was a way they could have altered it so it sounded more like his KH1 voice

[@bluedragon9925]

@@stevencraeynest7729 I honestly wouldn't have blamed them if they instead hired a soundalike of Haley Joel Osment circa 2002 for Re: Chain of Memories, Re: Coded and the scenes with Sora's KH1 design in Dream Drop Distance. His natural voice (let alone his Sora voice) was just plain too deep for the KH1 design by the time even KH2 was made, let alone any of the games since KH2.

[@kevintrickster4098]

Yea I was surprised at first but then I thought about it and then understood why

[@zedc6072]

‘mini-sequels’ is one way of putting it

[@brannycedeno6823]

It's probably the best one, too.

[@ariesradke6193]

Are they short games? Mini-sequels doesn’t sound right. If it’s a full game then it should be counted as such. Just because it’s not titled number 3 doesn’t mean shit.

[@brannycedeno6823]

@@ariesradke6193 You got a point too, but "mini" probably wasn't used to place them in an inferior category or something. Just that they aren't numbererd titles, that's all.

[@AStarInAndromeda]

@@ariesradke6193 dont get caught up with the semantics. They're sequels but obviously they're not a full numbered entry, that's why he said that.

[@SailorSetsuna7]

It sounds way better that 'spin-offs'

[@SSlash]

Voice: final form 🤪 I’m glad they’ve kept him around all this time tho, wouldn’t have it any other way

[@timrob12]

Quite right. He has given Sora his personality and voice.

[@timrob12]

@@johnathan4821 Well, yeah. Everyone has.

[@nekogamer2508]

@@timrob12 except for wildcards they have no personality yet they use personas to kill shadows and only one of them is in a main game series at a time

[@timrob12]

@@nekogamer2508 Personas?

[@ambersummer22]

i wonder how he could voice rage form...

[@hyperdarksonic7151]

"My voice has reached its Final Form" Like we weren't going to notice it

[@STARMAN-it8zb]

I almost spit out my drink when he said that LMAO!

[@Alpha-0014]

1:33

[@superduty1676]

Facts

[@sjmad96]

I really hope it was intentional lol

[@Sparkledash1]

For many people, he is the kid from the sixth sense who can see dead people. For me though, he will always be the kid who voiced sora and who still voices Sora almost 20 years later.

[@Joe_334]

I remember him from this movie called "Bogus", as well.

[@Silent_Fool]

And, the kid from Sixth Sense fought against a Member from NSYNC and Superman.

[@rieiid5867]

Yeah like I know it was a big movie but I feel like his role as Sora is way bigger than the Sixth Sense was.

[@jaykisuke3397]

No shiiiiiiii he's also the kid from home alone too

[@Idunno-gl1wz]

I didn't even know it was him until I was an adult so he's still the kid from the sixth sense to me

[@nullifytheshark2423]

“When I was 12 in 2001” JESUS CHRIST FOR REAL? HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG??? How the time flies. Grew up with KH.

[@doranmitchell1700]

Yeah, I guess they did voice sessions in 2001 & than the game was released in 2002.

[@Gavlon]

i was 1 in 2001... im 20 now.

[@blueb_oy]

I was 6 when KH1 came out and wasn't into that type of video game yet, but I had older cousins who played KH1 so I used to watch all the time. It wasnt until KH2 came out, that I started to get into the series. I had no idea what I was getting into playing KH2 because it felt like I skipped a whole story, but once I finished KH2, I played KH1 and enjoyed it. Sort of going back in time :)

[@johncarldelossantos7345]

18 years!!!

[@jjgarcia156]

I was 6 back then. Man, that's crazy

[@SidneyMosley]

I'm genuinely glad that Haley Joel Osment has stayed as Sora for so long.

[@R0B5e55or001]

And can you imagine they're gonna eventually replace him and the whole Kingdom Hearts voice cast with the prolific young celebrities and be used for marketing gimmick in the next Kingdom Hearts game?

[@gex_6920]

@@R0B5e55or001they will definitely do that for the new characters, but I think Haley Joel osment is staying as sora

[@R0B5e55or001]

@gex_6920 you sure about that? Look what happened to David Hayter, the original FF7 voice cast, and the Persona voice cast. It's most likely they're gonna mistreat Haley and the KH voice cast next whether it's a sequel or a 'Remake.'

[@gex_6920]

@@R0B5e55or001 I highly doubt that

[@R0B5e55or001]

If I were Haley, I'd watch my back and put Square Enix's trust on the test.

[@789syrus789]

Everyone ask what it’s like to voice Sora to him but fail to ask what it’s like to voice Vanitas.

[@GcorpCoPrez]

There was an interview. He states playing a villian was great. He got to do a different voice than what he did as Sora. Something he wanted do to but couldn’t.

[@789syrus789]

GcorpCoPrez Yeah but it was only that one time. Vani needs love too!

[@GcorpCoPrez]

Hope everyone is ok! 🙂 take care of yourself. Okay! 🌎🎂 Stay true and be faithful! Guys we got this! I’m cheering for you! Opposite of despair is Hope! 🙂 the smile of the eyes and the smile reflected in the sky The way out. You would not believe your eyes if a million fire flies lit up the world as they fell asleep! Hi Skye! :)

[@deepmind5318]

Probably because vanitas is less well known and his name is difficult to grasp for the more casual people.

[@Orion_TheyThem]

It's because locals only know Sora. Only diehard fans know and love Vanitas.

[@masterjakari]

He sounds just like vanitas in this interview 😲😧🤭

[@davidtimmer596]

Well, his Vanitas voice is his real voice.

[@darkdjinniumbrage7798]

What's Sora's is mine!

[@261780popof]

I think he did Vanitas too

[@theinimitablejora522]

Yeah, he did Vanitas too. Good thing he changed up the voice for 3, I love the sound of Smoker Vanitas.

[@knightofanguish7399]

Yes... good..

[@GodoMatrix]

Sora: And you choose Darkness? Haley: I choose Darkness.

[@youngfox2186]

Ansem: What proud!

[@andret.1527]

Loved that he continues to voice Sora to this very day. A part of me will still always see him as that little boy who says, "I see dead people!"

[@bdpchamp]

It’s actually crazy to know that he was pretty much the actual age of Sora during the 1st and 2nd game

[@Comic-94x1n]

It’s really amazing that even as an adult, Haley Joel Osment still sounds like a teenager. They really made a smart move casting him as Sora.

[@timrob12]

He'll always be Sora to me. I feel he gave Sora its personality.

[@TheInfinityMaster1]

Haley: "Now that my voice is in its *final form"* inb4 Sora becomes Super Saiyan in KH4 with a golden hair and a manly voice and is like "HOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

[@deepmind5318]

I'm so glad the characters are aging in the games. Had they given it the pokemon treatment, we would still be looking at 5 year old sora.

[@Gooberboober2]

One of the few child stars that legit grew up and just became charming giant kids.

[@kaden7263]

I wish Sora had new lines provided for Smash but I’m still extremely happy.

[@SlamBolts]

Many characters of the DLC characters use archived voice clips, and I think it saves a lot of time and work when done right

[@dwinters6291]

Why record new lines if the ones that already exist work.

[@optidalfprime3904]

@@SlamBolts Totally fine with it and I don't mind except one specific voice lines. THE VERY FIRST VOICE LINE HE DOES: "Let's go" in the reveal trailer. Sounds out of place since it's a battle quote.

[@timrob12]

I think we may be happy that he's speaking english at all, considering so many Smash characters have kept their Japanese voices.

[@Growmetheus]

“So you were sora?” “Yeah i moved on into broadway and caught up in my studies with good friends...” “So you were sora haha” *Haley stares into camera*

[@Woter_X]

John Gray whAt? This never happened in the video.

[@paulj6805]

@@Woter_X yeah... It kinda did.

[@Growmetheus]

woah algorithm brought me back here, not disappointed to see i made some smile :D

[@Growmetheus]

And yeah i paraphrased lol

[@Randomninja47]

I'm glad they never decided to change voice actors. I love Haley as Sora. Wouldn't want any other person.

[@jackaleope]

after all these years hes still as cute as ever.

[@rudytan2914]

Haley, though you have grown up to reach maturity, I believe you still can make more thrilling movies. You're talented and well experienced in acting. I love to see the stimulation of your gland to shed tears once again.

[@shepherdstar14]

His voice has reached it’s final form! Haley has reached his final form guys! xD

[@the_jones528]

Imagine if Haley was still 12 when Vanitas was revealed. How would that sound like?

[@PaintSplashProductions]

I wouldn't be able to take him seriously 🤣

[@handlessuck589]

too slow

[@hybridgohan]

it makes me so happy to hear him talk about KH idk why...

[@anotherguy7539]

When she mentioned Kingdom Hearts Haley became the happiest man on earth

[@GudingKey]

I hope Sora’s voice gets deeper soon, it’d make sense for the next title since there was a one year skip after KH3 and Limit Cut episode.

[@spideywoo]

Yeah me too

[@Orion_TheyThem]

It makes him and Kairi 16. And Riku is now 17.

[@optidalfprime3904]

@@Orion_TheyThem I still can't believe that Kingdom Hearts 2, DDD, and 3 took place in a single year.

[@saxenart]

@@optidalfprime3904 yeah it doesn’t make sense tbh.

[@breadburner7276]

@@optidalfprime3904 what the fuck

[@iRenz0]

Haley will never lose his Sora voice

[@Neverland_never_dies]

When I played when I finished KH1 and moved into chain of memories I was like WhAt HaPpEnEd tO sOrA? And I thought they changed his voice actor, the age gap between the 2 games makes sense for the change in his voice

[@LilacMonarch]

Sora still has his kh1 voice in the original CoM

[@RatchetK-ei8mk]

Haley Joel Osment as Sora in Kingdom Hearts series ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🔑🔑🔑🔑🔑

[@staysaltybaby]

He's so perfect and awesome. We don't deserve a man so pure x

[@stardusttodorki2679]

He knew that he was going to voicing Sora in smash bros ultimate

[@cloudshines812]

I really would love to see Osment either during an interview or a talk show, play Smash Bros and his respective character!

[@DegmoGrandfather]

I always thought Sora had different voice actors. Its amazing it was only one

[@guy.b.l6351]

"I..." said sora

[@vanity1387]

Jsjsjsj so true 😂😂😂

[@sutnev7970]

Yesss lmao

[@GilgaMax305]

Funny how the video only mentions Disney and Pixer. It's like they don't even know who Square Enix is lol

[@theotherjared9824]

Why would they, video games are for nerds unlike the real men that watch disney films

[@GilgaMax305]

@@theotherjared9824 That's a funny joke lol My ribs are aching because that was genuinely so fucking funny

[@theotherjared9824]

@@GilgaMax305 always happy to help

[@GcorpCoPrez]

Jared Watson im dedd. The sarcasm is bleeding through. I always read YT comments as sarcastic anyways. Until the reply i get is serious. 👀 “i was joking!! Lololol interwebsss yeahhhah!1!!”

[@ieatpoopcornsmindyou9182]

@@theotherjared9824 Lmao!!! The real men watching Disney films part was too fucking much.

[@STA0756052]

I always thought Sora's voice was his natural speaking voice but it's actually deeper than Sora's. That's the mark of a good voice actor.

[@shepherdstar14]

I was so happy when he appeared in Kominsky Method, I enjoy watching that with my mom and all of the sudden there he is! Sora! And he says “organization” in that episode which sounds so familiar!

[@wangwang2211]

Imagine if Kingdom Hearts 4 release in 2035 and the 47 years old Haley still voice a teenage Sora.

[@Hoopalover]

I wonder how he feels now that sora is in smash

[@fullhousefrek]

that's what I was wondering too

[@R0B5e55or001]

And why he gets to be part of Smash when they could've gotten Steve and George return too as Cloud and Sephiroth

[@ItsYaBoyYogi]

I never even realized he was Sora until very recently, crazy I grew up w this dude and never knew it

[@toypikachutheoctoling6029]

It Feels like HJO had grown up with Sora along with us and it's really wholesome

[@chiefsmackaho42]

I like his voice in Kh2 the most.

[@blueserenity7]

Really nice to hear a recent clip of HJO speaking on the role. He does seem to really enjoy it, and it comes across in his acting. I think KH2 will always be my favorite performance from him just because it was kind of a "right place, right time" sort of thing where it matched up really closely with Haley's actual age and maturity. I know what he means when he says that it was harder to hit certain parts of Sora's voice while his voice was still changing (I think he's mostly referring to Re:COM) but despite that, there's a certain softness to Sora's KH2 voice that just really rings true to his character and the more complex themes of the game. I think the end sections of KH3 and Remind are the closest he's gotten to that tone since. So it's great to see he's still got it in him and that we can count on him to keep tying the whole series together. I'm hoping that Nomura keeps slowly letting Sora age and mature though, since it'll only give Haley more to work with and deliver on.

[@LadyGagaforFortnite]

This man is in Smash

[@kirin1230]

I just learnt this guy is the voice of Sora. I have known about Haley and Sora for so long, and never realised they were the same voice.

[@duellegend71]

Imagine being in his core group of friends as a kh fan lol. Like hey wana play kh? Sora is so cool Haley- yeah you don’t say?

[@desertdoggoalt]

His classmates get the game as kids and play all the way through and then see his name and they're like whaaaaaa

[@imcasualjimm]

When he said he started doing it at 12 my jaw hit the FLOOR but then i remembered Kingdom Hearts is literally 22 years old now

[@5MinuteEarth]

Simultaneously an endlessly gifted, capable and willing tool of pure drama, artistic venture, willing the suspension of disbelief, and also an individual who would not conform to the sick and twisted standards of Hollywood. Like so many others tossed aside for daring to question a morally corrupt, greed-driven mechanism concocted only by the lowest part of humanity. Great talent will never be fully extinguished. I relish every time I see Mr Osment practice his highly refined craft.

[@kingdomheartsfangrl6]

honestly i would have so many mixed feelings if they changed sora's voice actor because im so attached to haley as sora

[@doml8540]

Please never leave Haley

[@R0B5e55or001]

Beware of the corporation that might replace him with someone who never heard of Sora, but gonna replace him anyway for the next KH gig

[@crystalmckenna5270]

Hayley Joel Orisment is the voice of Sora

[@iamdavid3498]

The fact he referenced interstellar, made him earn my highest respect.

[@alpha_jasperflair1097]

Adult Haley sounds like Vanitas and little Haley sounds like Sora

[@benpicado4138]

I was absolutely, completely convinced that they had changed the voice actor after kingdom hearts 2

[@righthandstep5]

My god that feels sooooo long ago. Im 18 months younger than this guy and he was voice acting while going to school.what a life.

[@blueblitz283]

If only Sakurai had brought this man in to do all new voice clips

[@andrurec]

Sora and Keyblade Heroes are the best and most underrated superheroes in the world😕😐🙏

[@NicolasMendoula]

This is adult Sora. After he retired from weilding the keyblade

[@darkestnights77]

he's a national treasure, what a sweet heart!

[@justacloud3374]

Jesus on broadway Sora has a beard now!!

[@ZephyrBW]

She's right though its great they still kept him. He is Sora

[@123youbia]

Is this guy speaking in Vanitas rn? Bcuz I can feel it.

[@RentabaAmakura]

Yes he does

[@roxs6557]

I never realized that's how Soras va looked like that I just realized he's the same person playing that mind reader guy that got killed by butcher later in the boys

[@nickelback5473]

I haven’t watched The Boys, but I think there’s a scene where he’s also with Billy Zane, aka Sora and Ansem are in the same scene

[@NPDStudio]

"Hit that eleven year old *Bitch* " I never that I'd accidentally hear Sora say that 🤣

[@kahlilz]

I did not know… he was the voice of sora

[@ITSNICKMELLO]

Can you imagine Sora by Kingdom Hearts VII and his voice would just be Haley Joel Osment speaking normally due to growing up?

[@jasonag619]

Wonder what his reaction was to Sora being in SMASH

[@onlyacomentarynothingspeci2419]

Man one day Sora will be a adult and he doesn't has to pitch his voice anymore

[@bubblesawesome3284]

This man is a hero.

[@thegooseman90]

KH2 Sora voice is my favorite.

[@moh.syafrianabie8899]

Young sora | old sora

[@R0B5e55or001]

It'll be end of the world if they replace Haley Joel Osment and the rest of the Kingdom Hearts voice cast for KH4 with the prolific celebrities who never heard of their characters and being used as a marketing gimmick without even telling the original VAs why they were replaced

[@jsin22366322]

Dudes a legend!

[@mikotoh]

i hate whenever people say hes too old to play sora. theres no other sora babey

[@R0B5e55or001]

Imagine they're gonna replace him and the whole Kingdom Hearts voice cast with the prolific young celebrities and become used for the marketing gimmick without even telling Haley why just like what happened to the original Compilation FF7 voice cast

[@LazyPirate8]

That's the face of a man who loved his job voicing Sora.

[@preposteroussvideos]

I'm so happy for him

[@Bittamin]

Love this game, just sampled his dialogue for a song and it was so fun. Great source material!

[@ianloreen7817]

Woah! It almost sounds like this guy voiced Sora in Kingdom Hearts!

[@Keykeeper02]

That final form refernce is so cool lmao

[@ZgermanGuy.]

Our boy grew up

[@MadnessXMedia]

The final form comment gave me Freiza flash backs

[@chriskoloski32]

I couldnt imagine being a famous actor, voicing a character in a game I'm sure many people will have played whole in high school.

[@repeekyraidcero]

Osment must be the mkst hardcore fan on the planet. He's the only one that didn't loose his zeal, even in KHIII. Cool guy.

[@Glace1221]

Lol if you told me this guy was the voice of Kingdom Hearts

[@K2SonicFan]

*Sora

[@CharmeIeon]

he also voiced chip in beauty and the beast the enchanted christmas

[@TaqiInalessaSany1]

Road to Sonic + Kingdom Hearts! Coming at the year in 2027!

[@haileyroberts1103]

Please never replace him. I would be done with the series, even if it's my favourite.

[@R0B5e55or001]

Beware. Corporations nowadays are gonna replace the legacies out of the blue just like what happened to the original FF7, Scooby-Doo, Super Mario Bros voice casts and then replace with the young celebrities who never heard of the characters and yet become used as a marketing gimmick. If I were Haley, I'd be concerned and watch my back.

[@TheAustin1]

Don't forget Sora join smash

[@chiyo-chanholocaust8143]

"I see Disney characters"

[@Zilkenian_Davenport]

"Now that my voice has reached its final form" my dude has been working for Kingdom Hearts way too long XD.

[@AngryAnimeFan2]

One wonder If the producers even suspected that he would keep voicing the character I loved hearing his grown up voice. It’s just to bad he does not do more VA work

[@tanequawoodson7609]

Is beautiful and iconic character it is amazing voice actor who is amazing and Awesome Voice of Sora

[@d.vaproductions]

I want to hear Haley Joel Osment as Silver the Hedgehog

[@Hateyourself247]

I can’t unsee this

[@Imoenn]

Holy shit, HE'S Sora?!

[@jeremybrown5976]

Mom, Can I take Cuddly Sora home with me?

[@CosmicTron]

From the movie A.I and also sixth sense the 12 year old boy that said I see dead people! To Sora in Kingdom hearts 2001 to present not to mention voicing vanitas quite the actor and I believe he voiced that boy in the jungle book when he was younger talented guy Haley Joel is.

[@Spoopball]

Interviewer: Your voice changes over time Barry white: definitely