The Simpsons

[Dacey]

Wait, hang on...has Bill Cosby been in some kind of trouble recently?

Kidding aside, today Hibbert has been around for so long that I feel he’s now viewed as Hibbert, rather than as whatever or whoever might’ve inspired him. And though I still think the replacements are silly, Kevin Michael Richardson is a good match.

[Ben]

Well, no, not *recently*...!

[Daniel]

Shearer on Twitter:

My first public statement about this is my only one: the job of an actor is to portray someone he/she isn't.

I'm not signaling anything. It was not my decision. I'm not taking a stand, I'm abiding by my employer's decision. But the name-calling gets you blocked.

That's only a hint. So depressing.

[ShyViolet]

Yeah, very disheartening. The bile makes me think of this comment (I originally posted it in the Song of the South thread) from the original Deadline Hollywood story about Hibbert:

Let me break this down in language you will understand, Harry.

An Actors JOB is to bring the most authenticity to a character.

Do you think you bring the MOST authenticity to a character of color, or do you think there are actors who are POC out there who may bring GREATER authenticity?

How can another actor bring greater authenticity to Hibbert when Shearer’s the actor who basically created him???

[Dacey]

Also, how far do these rules go? KMR was GREAT as Shredder on the 2012 Ninja Turtles, very menacing and his voice suited the character perfectly. But...he's not Japanese, as the character is. Soooooo....is that bad too now?

[ShyViolet]

Plus what about Futurama? Amy Wong’s parents are played by Billy West and Tress McNeil. Neither Chinese or Asian. (Not sure about Amy’s VO.). I’m also pretty sure the Rastafarian Hermes’ VO wasn’t a POC.

Will Futurama now get a content warning every time you stream it??

[Daniel]

Amy's voice actor Lauren Tom is Chinese.

[ShyViolet]

Oh ok, I had a feeling, but I wasn’t 100% sure.

[Ben]

Sense, all this makes not.

[Randall]

I’m also pretty sure the Rastafarian Hermes’ VO wasn’t a POC.

Sorry, but... Phil LaMarr is a black dude. He also did the John Stewart Green Lantern on Justice League. And Static on Static Shock.

Though, he was also Samurai Jack, who... isn't black.

Going forward, it's a nice idea to have POC be given roles of characters who are POC. But I can't say that cross-race casting bothers me too much. What's most important is the performance.

[ShyViolet]

Sorry, but... Phil LaMarr is a black dude. He also did the John Stewart Green Lantern on Justice League. And Static on Static Shock.

Oh OK, didn’t know that about LaMarr. That’s pretty cool, he certainly did a great job as Hermes. Still, totally agree that it’s the performance that counts the most.

[Ben]

What!? A black dude played the white Samurai Jack!? That's outrageous!

Serious point, though: how come colorblind casting works this other way? Or can’t we actually talk about that...

[Daniel]

Renewed for Season 33 and 34. Have no fears, we've got stories for years!

[ShyViolet]

The Simpsons was a great show for a long time, and I’m really happy for fans that it was renewed. I doubt I’ll be watching again, though. I have no problem with casting authentic ethnic/racial groups for characters of that group, but to “kick out” seasoned VO experts who’ve been voicing some of these characters for three decades because they somehow don’t “understand” the roles that are of a different race is incredibly divisive. I realize Disney/the show runners probably have good intentions, but I can’t ignore it. To be perfectly honest, it makes me really uncomfortable.

There’s also the matter of Azaria’s removal from playing Apu, which has hit me hard on a personal level, since we have a common background (Sephardic Jewish). I’m Iraqi Jewish and his ancestors lived in Spain (and he grew up speaking Ladino: a combo of Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic.). Basically both of us are from a middle eastern background, which has many parallels with Indian. Azaria’s heritage should have AT LEAST been discussed: but it never was. Why not? This issue is very complicated and I don’t think is best solved by just throwing Azaria out with no real communication or dialogue. .

Anyway these are just my feelings and I’m not trying to disrespect anyone’s background...it’s completely natural to want diversity and inclusion. I realize times have changed: what’s wrong with opening communication between Azaria and the critics of Apu?

[ZacharyOehler]

Just fascinating