‘Simpsons’ actor Azaria says ‘it didn’t feel right’ to keep voicing Apu
Hank Azaria is opening up about his decision to retire voicing Apu on “The Simpsons.” The Emmy-winning voice actor, 55, announced last month that he would stop voicing the beloved yet divisive character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, which has been criticized as a racist caricature that promotes negative stereotypes about Indians.
“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. “It just didn’t feel right.”
The veteran cast member has voiced various characters in the fictional town of Springfield over the last three decades, including Moe Szyslak and Chief Wiggum, but Azaria has become synonymous with Apu, an Indian immigrant who owns the Kwik-E-Mart convenience store and is best known for his catchphrase, “Thank you, come again.”
Azaria told the Times that he based the character off the 1968 film “The Party” — in which Peter Sellers wore brownface to portray an Indian man — in addition to Pakistani and Indian clerks he heard growing up in New York.
“That represents a real blind spot I had,” Azaria said, explaining that he was unaware of the racial insensitivity of Sellers’ performance at the time. ”There I am, joyfully basing a character on what was already considered quite upsetting.”
Although Azaria has stepped down from voicing Apu, the character’s future lies solely in the hands of ”The Simpsons” executive producers, who have full creative control.
“We respect Hank’s journey in regard to Apu. We have granted his wish to no longer voice the character,” the show’s executive producers said in a statement. “Apu is beloved worldwide. We love him, too. Stay tuned.”
It’s not clear if the character will be written out or recast with an Indian actor.
Azaria, who has won four Emmys for his voice-over work on “The Simpsons,” said some good has come from the controversial character: It has sparked a much-needed dialogue about representation in television.
“What happened with this character is a window into an important issue,” he 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.”