Hank Azaria Says It ‘Just Didn’t Feel Right’ to Keep Voicing Apu on ‘The Simpsons’
Hank Azaria is opening up about why he's decided to stop voicing Apu on The Simpsons.
He first announced his decision a month ago.
“It just didn’t feel right,” he told The New York Times.
Hank Azaria has been an irreplaceable part of The Simpsons family since the show's inception in 1989, voicing countless characters in well over 600 episodes of the timeless series. He's been the voice of one of those characters, Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu, since his very first appearance back in 1990; in recent years, Apu, portrayed as an Indian immigrant, has come under criticism from audience members who believe Apu is a bigoted stereotype. Azaria, who is white, is now opening up and explaining why he's decided to stop playing Apu.
"Once I realized that that was the way this character was thought of, I just didn’t want to participate in it anymore,” Azaria told The New York Times in an interview. “It just didn’t feel right.”
The conversation around Apu has been ongoing for a while, but it really amplified in 2017 when a documentary titled The Problem With Apu aired on TruTV. That documentary featured stand-up comedian Hari Kondabolu delving into the specifics of the issue, which he first detailed on an episode of FX's Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell.
“There’s now enough Indian people where I don’t need to like you just because you’re Indian,” he originally detailed. “Because growing up, I had no choice but to like this: Apu, a cartoon character voiced by Hank Azaria, a white guy. A white guy doing an impression of a white guy making fun of my father.”
Azaria cited a "blind spot" he had, noting that he had drawn inspiration for his Apu character from a Peter Sellers character who wore brownface to a party to play an Indian character; he had no idea that this performance had come to be regarded as racist.
“There I am, joyfully basing a character on what was already considered quite upsetting,” he said.
The 55-year-old, also currently starring in Brockmire on IFC, has been granted his wish from The Simpsons to no longer voice the character. It's not clear, though, if the show will retire the character or simply hire someone else to provide the voice. Regardless, Azaria seems to have taken the experience as a positive one. He isn't in control of the character anymore, but is willing to take accountability for his part.
“What happened with this character is a window into an important issue,” Azaria said. “It’s a good way to start the conversation. I can be accountable and try to make up for it as best I can.”
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