In the US, the creators of the animated series “The Simpsons” announced their refusal to sound white characters with different skin colors. Thus, in the next series, viewers will no longer hear the voice of the white actor Hank Azariah, who voiced a character named Apu – an immigrant from India.
In recent months, show business in many countries has increasingly become an object of criticism. Discrimination fighters demanded equality. After the death in Minneapolis in late May, criticism intensified at the hands of white African-American policemen George Floyd. A wave of mass protests broke out under the slogan “Black lives matter.”
As noted by the BBC, actor Hank Azaria, who voiced several characters in the series, spoke in January of this year of his intention to abandon the role of Apu. Since 2017, Azaria has felt growing pressure on him in connection with the then-released documentary film “The Problem with Apu.” The film was created by stand-up comedian Gary Kondabolu. The author spoke with South Asian immigrants living in the United States and tried to understand how a character named Apu influences them, with whom part of the audience grew up for many years, perceiving him almost as their only “representative” on American television channels.
Hank Azaria told reporters that the decision to complete work on voicing Apu in The Simpsons was made in concert with the creators of the animated series – in connection with criticism of his acting style, portraying Apu with a pronounced Indian accent.
Some other white actors, including Mike Henry and Kristen Bell, made similar statements about refusing to voice characters with a different skin color. Henry for 20 years voiced Cleveland Brown, one of the characters in the animated series “Family Guy”. He also came to the conclusion that people with a different skin color should also be represented by people with a different skin color.
“Lack of knowledge and awareness” when working on the image of the mulatto girl Molly (series “Central Park”) was recognized by actress Kristen Bell. “The choice of a white actress for the role of a mixed race character distorts those features of character and traits that are characteristic of representatives of interracial marriages and the black part of the American population,” said the actress.
- “The Simpsons” (The Simpsons) – American animated series in the genre of situational comedy. It was created by animator and cartoonist Matt Groening for Fox Broadcasting Company. “The Simpsons” – the longest animated series in the history of American television, continuously released since 1989. In May 2020, the broadcast of the 31st season of the series ended.
- The cartoon shows the life of the Simpsons family and other residents of the fictional town of Springfield in a satirical manner, ridiculing many stereotypes, in particular – the lifestyle of the “average American”, especially world cultures, celebrities and the Fox channel itself.
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