Is Apu racist? The Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria ‘happy to step aside’
Actor’s response at odds with the cartoon’s jibe at critics who say Indian character is offensive
The Simpsons actor Hank Azaria has said he would be willing to stop voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, amid mounting accusations that the show’s characterisation is racist.
Apu’s stereotypical mannerisms and heavy accent - as performed by Azaria, who is white - have long been a sore subject in the Indian-American community, but in recent months the debate has attracted mainstream attention.
Speaking on US chat show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night, Azaria addressed the controversy, saying his “eyes have been opened” by the conversation around the character.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He added that he would like to see Indian or South Asian writers shape the future of Apu, which could include a change of voice actor.
“I'm perfectly willing and happy to step aside, or help transition it into something new,” he said.
Azaria, who voices dozens of characters on the show, including Chief Wiggum, Moe Szyslak, Comic Book Guy and Dr Nick, has played the role of the Indian convenience store owner since his first appearance in 1990.
In the documentary, Kondabolu and interviewees including actors Aziz Ansari, Kal Penn and Maulik Pancholy shared memories of playground taunts.
“After a while, you’d watch The Simpsons on a Sunday and you’d get a sense of how you’d be made fun of at school on Monday, based on what Apu did in the latest episode,” Kondabolu told BBC Culture in 2017.
Asian-Americans in the entertainment industry have also spoken of the lingering impact of the character on their adult lives.
Pakistani-American actor Kumail Nanjiani told Vulture journalist Mallika Rao how he had repeatedly encountered “a casting agent asking him to drop his actual accent to do an ‘Apu accent’”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why is recasting so difficult?
In The Spotlight Switching much-loved characters can cause confusion – and spark a backlash
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Disenchantment: Matt Groening cartoon to air on Netflix
Speed Read After poking fun at modern life in The Simpsons, the animator is turning his sights to fantasy
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Simpsons' Smithers comes out as gay after 27 years
Speed Read Animated sitcom handles sexuality of long-running character with 'surprising subtlety', say critics
By The Week Staff Published
-
24 first episode: should Jack Bauer have come to London?
In Depth With EastEnders-style landlords, ploddy police and Downton villains, has 24 fallen into the cliche trap?
By The Week Staff Published