D’oh! "The Simpsons" actor Harry Shearer, who has lent his voice to various characters including the Black doctor Julius Hibbert, has called out the show for its decision to stop using white actors to portray people of color.
Earlier this year the long-standing cartoon series revealed that it would stop using white actors to voice non-white characters. The announcement came amid the Black Lives Matter movement that swept the nation following the death of George Floyd.
In an interview with Times Radio, Shearer said he did not necessarily agree with the decision.
"I have a very simple belief about acting. The job of the actor is to play someone who they are not," he said, according to Daily Mail.
"That's the gig, that's the job description," he continued.
Shearer will no longer voice Dr. Julius Hibbert, but he still portrays multiple other characters including Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner and Waylon Smithers. His job is not impacted by the news.
"We don't get paid by the voice," he explained.
Shearer is speaking up several weeks after it emerged that actor Hank Azaria had pulled out of voicing the Indian character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in "The Simpsons."
"All we know there is I won't be doing the voice anymore, unless there's someway to transition it or something," Azaria told /Film.
The character, an owner of a 7-Eleven who pushes Slurpees, might remain on the show, according to creator Matt Groening, reported /Film.
"What they're going to do with the character is their call," Azaria added, per the report. "It's up to them and they haven’t sorted it out yet. All we've agreed on is I won't do the voice anymore."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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