Longtime The Simpsons forged member Harry Shearer has spoken out concerning the present’s June announcement that it will no longer hire white actors to voice characters of color, and it seems he is not utterly on board with the change.
When requested about The Simpsons‘ new strategy to casting in an interview on Times Radio, Shearer mentioned, “I’ve a quite simple perception about performing. The job of the actor is to play somebody who they don’t seem to be. That is the gig, that is the job description.”
Shearer, an unique forged member on The Simpsons, voices quite a few characters on the sequence, together with Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, and Dr. Hibbert, a Black physician. The actor insisted his opinion had nothing to do together with his personal wage. “We’re not paid by the voice,” he mentioned.
Although he did not straight say he disagreed with the producers’ choice, Shearer went on so as to add, “I believe there is a conflation between illustration, which is vital. Folks from all backgrounds needs to be represented within the writing and producing ends of the enterprise so they assist resolve what tales to inform and with what information.” He concluded, “The job is taking part in somebody I am not.”
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The Simpsons has lengthy been referred to as out for its remedy of characters of shade. In 2017, comic Hari Kondabolu made the enduring Fox cartoon sequence the topic of his documentary The Problem with Apu, which did a deep dive into the present’s historical past of imposing stereotypical portrayals of South Asian immigrants. The documentary finally led to actor Hank Azaria confirming he would no longer voice Apu. “All we all know is I will not be doing the voice anymore, except there’s some method to transition it or one thing,” Azaria mentioned earlier this 12 months. “What they’ll do with the character is their name. It is as much as them they usually have not sorted it out but. All we have agreed on is I will not do the voice anymore.”
The Simpsons‘ announcement in June was half of a bigger shift in industry-wide discussions round casting white actors to voice characters of shade in animated reveals. The choice got here the identical week Jenny Slate and Kristen Bell stepped away from taking part in biracial characters on Big Mouth and Apple TV+’s Central Park, respectively. Mike Henry, who voiced the Black character Cleveland Brown on the present Family Guy, additionally stepped away from his function.
The Simpsons returns Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8/7c on Fox.
The Simpsons