Samantha Newark Talks Jem & The Holograms’ Reboot Trailer, Remembers Original Series

There may be a new Jem and the Holograms hitting the big screen, but to most, the titular role will always belong to Samantha Newark. Newark, a famous musician and songwriter, brought the cotton-candied Jem to life during the original Jem and the Holograms’  animated run between 1985 and 1988. With her bouncy vocals, Newark personified everything that fans loved about the animated character.

On the 30th anniversary of the show’s US debut, Comicbook.com sat down with Newark to discuss Jem’s enduring appeal, her favorite memories from working on the show, and where she stands on the controversial Jem & The Holograms reboot trailer.

Samantha, Jem ended decades ago, but continues in syndication on various shows and in outlets like Hulu and Netflix. What do you think is the driving force behind Jem’s staying power over the years?

Samantha Newark: Oh, gosh, I think it’s because we were more than a cartoon. It’s been described as a soap opera for kids and I think the characters were well developed and we had several story arcs that kids can relate to. That’s not even including all the action and adventure, glamour and glitter, and the music! It was eye candy, ear candy with something for every kid, boys and girls and everybody in between. I also think it had a lot to do with the goodness of the show. It had a lot of beautiful little life stories and teaching the kids to do the right thing by including those PSAs and that type of thing.

The reactions I get from fans are sweet and genuine as it was a sweet and fantastic show. I think Jerrica got in their hearts and now we’re watching it again as grown ups with new eyes, so it’s lovely.

You voiced Jem’s speaking dialogue (while Britta Phillips handled the singing segments), but you yourself have had a music career for just as long. Did you ever want to perform the singing voice? How did the casting come about?

Newark: I initially started singing in Africa when I was a child and made a record and went all over Africa with a celebrity tour type of thing when I was 8. I did performances for the Prime Minister and all kinds of things like that, so I’ve been singing as long as I can remember. I expanded on my career opportunities and got into acting and Jem was one of those things that happened along the way. The music had already been cast in New York when I auditioned for the speaking role and they were trying to match them up.

Looking back, do you have a favorite memory of moment during the production of the show?

Newark: I wish I could say one particular memory, but we recorded the show ensemble and we were all in the studio together. That led to all sorts of shenanigans and ridiculousness and fun and much naughtiness from Patricia Albrecht who played Pizzazz and Charlie Adler going at it. To be in the room with such talented voice actors and me just being a kid mixed with that bunch was just thrilling. There was also the side of my financial independence as a young woman, so it was a start for me to move out on my own with my own money. That opened up a lot of new freedom for me, so a bunch of great memories. Nothing unique that stands out, though.

Jem was a major staple of the 80’s, so what does Jem mean to you being part of that class, so to speak, of 80’s animation?

Newark: Oh, gosh, honestly when I was doing Jem we didn’t have any social media so and I honestly didn’t really realize how far-reaching the show was and don’t even remember having that epiphany of “oh my God this show is huge” and it’s going out to millions of kids in America and internationally as well. I didn’t get the levity of it back then, but when the Internet came around, that’s when I started googling Jem and seeing the fansites for Jem it was astonishing to me. That’s when I started to connect with the fanbase one on one. Who would have thought all these years later it would have turned into a film and back on television and the comics are out now. It’s kinda surreal.

Speaking of the Jem comics, what do you think of the new ongoing series from IDW by Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell?

Newark: I think they’ve done a tremendous job! I think they captured the sweetness of the property, which was my biggest concern because I believe in the sisterhood and I was so pleased they did that. Because you never know which direction these things are going to go and obviously I love to see anything Jem get some sort of attention again, but I just think they’ve done an amazing job. I really love the reimagining of the illustrations and it’s great! Super happy!

You mentioned the movie and the trailer that recently came out. It’s definitely an item of controversy among fans. Where do you stand?

Newark: Well, you know I’m excited to see…you know, it’s like the Jem fan art and how I look at that and everybody has their own interpretation of Jem and I’ve seen some extraordinary pieces and artistic visions of Jem. I know the trailer caused an unbelievable amount of controversy and was shocked actually to see it trend worldwide with even William Shatner going on about it.

That being said, nobody has seen the movie yet. I know they are not showing a lot of things in the trailer, so I know people are so anxious and I love that and the loyalty for the Jem that they love. I am hoping fans will give it a chance and more will be revealed, but you know the fans are going to react the way they are going to react! They’re very protective of the brand and I can appreciate that.

What have you been up to since Jem wrapped up? Did you go back to singing?

Newark: I’ve always continued my singing. I’ve written and recorded a lot of stuff for film and television with shows like Smallville, Gossip Girl, America’s Next Top Model and a bunch of my original work. I’ve worked in Los Angeles as a session singer. I was a backup singer for Leonard Cohen back in 2006 for a project he was doing. Did a lot of commercials for radio and TV, and just been different bands and toured with an awesome Pink Floyd tribute band around the House of Blues venues. Now I’m back in Nashville and recording my new record and yeah, it’s been awhile since I’ve done Jem so it’s hard to wrap up everything in a nutshell. I’ve never gone away, but Jem is the most recognizable thing I’ve done.

You never really stepped away from the world of voice acting, so you’ve seen the changes come along since Jem wrapped. How has it differed for you?

I noticed that after the Jem series ended, a lot of celebrities started to look over at the voice-acting world and go “huh, that looks interesting and fun”. You can go work in your pajamas! It’s just such an awesome medium and I really, really love doing voice overs so I understand why they gravitated towards it. It started to really become–I remember when I was auditioning for things and one time it was myself, Alicia Silverstone, and Drew Barrymore. Companies were looking to get more name talent and were willing to pay for it. So, the business did tend to shift in that regard and I was definitely focus on my songwriting and music, so I was doing that, but that’s the big difference.

Also, a lot of times now they don’t record ensemble and you’re kinda phoning it in which isn’t nearly as fun when you have to do it remotely.

When you do the con circuit, what are the fan interactions like? Is it still surreal that something you did almost 30 years ago is still relevant?

I feel like I’ve been gifted of being this almost custodian of something special. Nostalgia is very important as we all remember the things that lit us up as little kids that we still love. It’s very unique and personal.

Yeah, the nostalgia factor is very important I imagine.

Oh, hugely, yeah. I didn’t get the opportunity when I was doing Jem to meet some of these kids because we didn’t have social media or any of that, but I was getting fan letters from my agent. But now meeting those little kids all grown up, they turn right back into 8 year-olds in front of me and it’s just the sweetest, sweetest thing. I feel very honored to have shared something so special to them and now, I’m meeting the little, little kids since they’ve been watching it through other outlets and their Jem fan parents are turning them on to it. So it’s like I’m now experiencing what I didn’t get to when I was doing the show and just absolutely loving it. It’s very, very awesome!

Are you still a fan of the original Jem and the Holograms? Let us know in the comments.