The two full-length Fox shows join the likes of Netflix’s ‘Big Mouth’ and Apple’s ‘Central Park’ to make their actors more representative of what’s on screen.
In a big change, producers of The Simpsons They say they will no longer use white actors to portray colored characters in the long-running animated series. Furthermore, one of the main voice actors in Family man He says he will stop playing the show’s main black character.
“Going forward, The Simpsons There will no longer be white actors voicing non-white characters, “the show said in a statement Friday.
Mike Henry who has been with Family man Since its inception, he wrote on Twitter on Friday that he will stop voicing Cleveland Brown on the show.
“It has been an honor to play Cleveland in Family man for 20 years, “wrote Henry.” I love this character, but people of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will leave office. “
Fox and Family man Producer 20th Century Fox TV declined to comment. Hollywood reporter He has contacted representatives of creator Seth MacFarlane. (MacFarlane retweeted Henry’s statement on Friday.)
The decisions of The Simpsons and Henry follow recent Netflix moves Big Mouth and Apple Central Park to recast mixed-race characters with black or biracial actors, as the industry continues to tell its story of inclusion (or lack thereof). Jenny Slate has played Missy in Big Mouth to date, and Kristen Bell expressed girl in central park
Movement by The Simpsons It represents a major change for the show, which for years resisted calls for a South Asian actor to take on the role of Hank Azaria’s Apu (the character is the subject of The problem with Apu, a 2017 documentary by comedian Hari Kondabolu). Azaria has since stopped voicing Apu.
Azaria also voices Carl Carlson and the Springfield Lou police officer, who are black, and the Latin character Bumblebee Man. Meanwhile, Harry Shearer has played Dr. Hibbert, who is black, throughout the series. Tress MacNeille has also voiced several non-white characters, including Apu’s wife Manjula.
Henry was announced as a guest star during the first seasons of Family man But he’s been a regular on the series since 2006. He has also written for the show and co-created and starred in spinoffs. The Cleveland Show, which lasted four seasons. Henry also provides the voice for another black character, Cleveland’s stepson Rallo Tubbs, who was a Cleveland show regular and occasionally appears in Family man.
Alison Brie voiced Vietnamese American character Diane Nguyen on Netflix BoJack Horseman. The creator of that show, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, tweeted about his regret over the decision, saying he intended to “write AWAY from stereotypes and create an Asian-American character that is not defined solely by race.” the other direction. “
