Comedy generally ages like milk. The issues that had been humorous in say the ’80s is probably not as humorous in ’20 or ’25, and as time passes so does the character of issues individuals giggle about. The whole lot from roasts to impressions to particular jokes can finally go from mild comedic jabs to being offensive over time. Which brings us to The Simpsons Apu. Whereas voice actor Hank Azaria stepped away from the character in 2020, he opened up about what satisfied him to retire Apu on The Simpsons regardless of initially considering the backlash would blow over.
In an interview on the podcast ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out’, voice actor and human jukebox Hank Azaria talks about among the inspirations for a few of his most iconic characters, in addition to his earlier feedback about AI and the outsourcing of his job to a machine. Through the dialogue, the actor was requested about how he approached the controversy relating to the character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, and he obtained actual concerning the “deep dive” that got here when individuals known as for him to stop the character.
Do I hold doing the voice or not,’ required a deep dive. It wasn’t like, ‘Nicely, let me take per week and look into this.’ It was in all probability two or three years as a result of all of us froze at ‘The Simpsons. We had no thought what to do. The character stopped saying something, and it grew to become a deep dive into, ‘Nicely, is that this racist? Does Hollywood have a convention of doing this? In a method or one other, am I part of that?’
The dialog grew larger after the 2017 launch of The Downside With Apu, a documentary by comic Hari Kondabolu concerning the unfavourable impacts of the stereotypes that the character of Apu had perpetuated. Azaria commented on this matter on the peak of the controversy, and once more in 2020 when he formally stepped down from voicing Apu.
Despite stepping again from the function, he nonetheless will get questions on characters he has voiced on The Simpsons.
I nonetheless get feedback to at the present time, [with Italian accent] ‘Why are you able to do Luigi? And that is not offensive.’ [With Southern accent] ‘Why are you able to speak like Cletus?’ [With Normal voice] ‘And that is not an issue? However you’ll be able to’t do Apu?’ Actually, at first, I believed, ‘Let me look into this, after which I am going to return to doing the voice,’ and say, ‘I perceive, however I will hold doing this.’ I used to be shocked myself that I got here down on, ‘No, I feel I am collaborating in a hurt right here.’
Each the documentary and Azaria’s interview on ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out’ contact on how different individuals felt concerning the Apu character exterior of the context of these engaged on the present. Azaria went on to share that when he realized the extent of ridicule and harm emotions he was inspiring, he realized that whereas he himself didn’t imply to trigger hurt, he inadvertently was.
The predominant factor was when hate crimes had been perpetrated towards Southern Asian individuals, a whole lot of occasions, they had been simply known as ‘Apu,’ which grew to become a slur when comfort retailer guys had been stabbed, shot, or robbed, particularly when guys had been who had been extra within the stereotypical professions like taxi driver. They had been hated on bodily and known as ‘Apu.’ That Apu crap is not as a result of it is a cartoon, like ‘Oh, it is a foolish voice.’ There’s all this different stereotyping and issues which have tooth in them that have an effect on individuals of shade on this nation.
The Simpsons has lengthy been a staple of media, and it has by no means been resistant to controversy round its satirical humor. Episodes like ‘Stark Raving Mad’ have made headlines, as did the time the present got into a battle with Brazil over the episode ‘Blame it on Lisa’. Different occasions the present has overtly jumped into sensitive subjects in ways in which look extra optimistic years later, with ‘Homers Phobia’ nonetheless marked as landmark TV a few years later.
It has been a number of years since Hank Azaria first modified his thoughts on the subject, however his willingness to pipe about it speaks volumes about his character, no pun meant.