As “The Simpsons” prepares for its 700th episode on Sunday, Matt Groening, the creator of the longest-running primetime animated comedy, spoke out about the milestone, addressed the controversy surrounding Apu’s character, and opened up about the decision to no longer hire white actors to voice non-white characters.
Groening told USA Today that the FOX sitcom does have plans for Apu, the beloved Kwik-E-Mart clerk, as long as they can “make the stories work.”
While they haven’t hired a new actor to voice the character just yet – in January 2020, Hank Azaria announced he would no longer voice the American-Indian character – they are “working on something kind of ambitious,” Groening revealed.
When asked if the sitcom was looking to change the nature of Apu’s character or stories, Groening noted: “I think the Apu stories are fantastic, and he's one of the most nuanced characters on a silly two-dimensional cartoon show. So, yeah, I'm proud of Apu. I'm trying not to open up another chasm of criticism, but it doesn't matter what I say. I'll get it anyway.”
Back in 2018, Apu’s character came under fire as racist and stereotypical following the release of the documentary “The Trouble with Apu” by comedian Hari Kondabolu.
Following the announcement, Kondabolu admitted that he never wanted the comedy to get rid of the character.
“I do hope they keep the character & let a very talented writing staff do something interesting with him. If not to better the show, then to at least spare me some death threats,” he posted at the time.
In June 2020, FOX also announced that it would begin to diversify casting for non-white characters.
"Moving forward, The Simpsons will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters," Fox spokesman Les Eisner said in a statement.
When asked about the decision, Groening said it wasn’t his idea, but added that he’s fine with it.
“Who can be against diversity? So it's great,” he explained.
“However, I will just say that the actors were not hired to play specific characters. They were hired to do whatever characters we thought of. To me, the amazing thing is seeing all our brilliant actors who can do multiple voices, do multiple voices. That's part of the fun of animation, However, to be more inclusive and hire more people, I'm completely in favor of that,” he added.
For example, Azaria, who previously voiced Apu, also voices Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, and Comic Book Guy on the series.
Groening revealed that after 32 seasons, he doesn’t see an end in sight for the series “because anytime I speculate on the show ending, the people who work on it and diehard fans get very upset. So, I always say there's no end in sight.”
However, he is blessed to see the show hit the 700th episode.
“It is a staggering number. And it's another episode. It's the same amount of work. So, we're just 30 years older,” he noted of the milestone moment.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram