How do white actors react to the ban on voicing dark-skinned characters
In June, the creators of the cult series "The Simpsons" announced that actors with white skin will no longer voice characters who do not belong to the Caucasian race. What is it, racism on the contrary?
76-year-old Harry Shearer is an actor who voices Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders and several other characters in The Simpsons, including Dr. Hibbert. The last character is dark—skinned, and now he will be voiced by someone else.
Harry Shearer criticized this decision, saying that actors should be able to play beyond their own experience.
Another famous actor, 55-year-old comedian Hank Azaria, even before the beginning of this whole story with the Black Lives Matter movement, in January 2020, stopped voicing his character in The Simpsons — Apu, whose voice he had been for 30 years.
The owner of the shop "In a hurry" (Kwik-E-Mart) Indian Apu Nahasapimapetilon has become, according to many critics, a stereotype representing the image of an immigrant seller in a negative way. They say that both the character and the way Hank Azaria served him (for example, a strong accent) formed a bad attitude towards South Asians in the viewer. As a result, Azaria was forced to give up the role.
He also said that he tried to put himself in the place of critics and imagine that for many years there has been a famous character on television representing a white Jew like himself and mocking him.
Another well-known animated series, Family Guy, is also waiting for a change in the line-up. For example, actor Mike Henry will no longer be the voice of a black character named Cleveland Brown. The actor has been voicing this character since 1999.
Keywords: Absurdity | Actors | Characters | Racism | The simpsons