Family man is the latest animated series to join the ranks of actors stepping away from roles, with Mike Henry announcing on Twitter that he will no longer be voicing Cleveland Brown in the animated comedy. Henry also voiced Brown in the spin-off series. The Cleveland Show. Earlier this week, Big Mouth star Jenny Slate and Central Park Star Kristen Bell revealed that they would no longer voice their mixed-race characters in their respective series to avoid contributing to the elimination of black artists in the entertainment industry. All of these decisions come after Black Lives Matter’s worldwide protests over racial injustices.
“It has been an honor to play Cleveland in Family man for 20 years. I love this character, but people of color should play characters of color, “Henry shared on Twitter.” Therefore, I will leave office. “
The quests for proper representation in the world of animation have become more passionate in recent years, thanks in large part to the 2017 documentary The problem with Apu from comedian Hari Kondabolu.
It has been an honor playing Cleveland in Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but people of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will leave office. pic.twitter.com/FmKasWITKT
– Mike Henry (@mikehenrybro) June 26, 2020
The iconic The Simpsons The character has been in the series for 30 years, but just like the characters never age, Apu rarely rose above being anything other than a convenience store cashier, a stereotype previously popular with people of American descent. South Asia in pop culture. The documentary highlighted why it was so troublesome that one of the most famous Indian characters was reduced to a stereotype, but also the problems of having Hank Azaria, who is not of Indian descent, express the character.
However, Azaria himself has previously stated that his plan for the character was to leave the role behind, although The Simpsons Creator Matt Groening confirmed that Apu will remain in the series.
This is just one of the ways the film and television industry is trying to do the right thing by its audience, which criticizes them for long ignoring racial insensibilities.
When HBO Max debuted earlier this year, it included gone With the Wind, a film long denounced for its racist themes. In response to these issues, the service now airs the film with a disclaimer of inaccuracies in its performances, although it still makes the unchanged film available. Other television series have aimed to eliminate controversial elements entirely, such as various episodes of Scrubs, 30 Rock, and Community They have all been removed from services due to their offensive qualities.
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