Colbert gave Azaria a chance to deal with the Apu criticism, and I think all told he did a better job than the show itself did. He said he is happy to have someone else voice the character (it seems like the smart Simpson’s writers could figure out how to do that in an amusing way), but I like the idea of keeping Azaria and Apu, but de-emphasizing him and making one of his kids or other relatives a less stereotypical and more prominent character, voiced by a South Asian actor.
Some quotes from the interview - the linked VF article has a link to video: “I’ve tried to express this before,” Azaria said. “You know, the idea that anybody was—young or old, past or present—was bullied or teased based on the character of Apu, it just really makes me sad. It was certainly not my intention; I wanted to spread laughter and joy with this character, and the idea that it’s brought pain and suffering in any way, that it’s used to marginalize people, it’s upsetting. Genuinely.” “I’ve given this a lot of thought—really a lot of thought,” the actor said. “And as I say, my eyes have been opened. And I think the most important thing is we have to listen to South Asian people, Indian people in this country when they talk about what they feel and how they think about this character—what their American experience of it has been. As you know, in television terms, ‘listening to voices’ means inclusion in the writers’ room.” “I’m perfectly willing and happy to step aside or help transition it into something new, I really hope that's what this instance does. It just, it not only makes sense, but it just feels like the right thing to do to me.” https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/04/the-simpsons-apu-response-hank-azaria-colbert-late-show -- Sent from Gmail Mobile -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
