>> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU BACK.
>> NICE TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: ALWAYS NICE TO TALK TO YOU.
>> THANK YOU, NICE TO SEE YOU.
BOY, IT'S A LOVELY THEATER.
I'M STRUCK BY IT EVERY TIME I'M HERE.
>> Stephen: ME, TOO, YEAH, YEAH.
I'M STRUCK BY HAVING THIS JOB.
IT STRIKES ME EVERY NIGHT.
FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS.
IT'S SEASON 29 OF "THE SIMPSONS."
>> YES, 29.
>> Stephen: UNBELIEVABLE.
( APPLAUSE ) I'VE HEARD REALLY GOOD THINGS.
I'VE GOT TO CHECK IT OUT SOME DAY.
>> WE'RE THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD, FOR SURE.
>> Stephen: YEAH, YOU GUYS WILL MAKE IT.
YOU DO A LOT OF VOICES.
HOW MANY VOICES DO YOU DO?
>> 20 OR 30 RUN AGO.
>> Stephen: 20 OR 30?
>> WELL, RUNNING REGULAR VOICES, YES.
AND OVER THE YEARS, DOZENS MORE.
I'VE LOST COUNT.
I KNOW YOU AS MO, CHIEF WIGGIN, AND APU, WHO IS AN
INDIAN-AMERICAN CHARACTER IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND
RECENTLY HAS STIRRED SOME CONTROVERSY.
DO YOU-- HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE CONTROVERSY?
AND DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY SOME INDIAN AMERICAN OR SOUTH ASIAN
AMERICAN ACTORS ARE OFFENDED BY THAT CHARACTER?
>> YEAH, NOT JUST ACTORS.
OF COURSE, I UNDERSTAND.
I MEAN, IT'S COME TO MY ATTENTION UNDER AND MORE,
ESPECIALLY THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AS YOU SAY, THAT PEOPLE
IN THE-- IN THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY IN THIS COUNTRY HAVE
BEEN FAIRLY UPSET BY THE VOICE AND CHARACTERIZATION.
>> Stephen: DID THAT SURPRISE YOU?
>> OF APU.
NOT OVER TIME.
IT DID WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT IT, ABSOLUTELY.
BUT-- AND IT'ST SPARKED A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT SHOULD
BE DONE WITH THE CHARACTER GOING FORWARD, WHICH IS NOT SO EASY TO
ANSWER.
I'VE TRIED TO EXPRESS THIS BEFORE.
YOU KNOW, THE IDEA THAT ANYBODY WAS-- YOUNG OR OLD, PAST OR
PRESENT-- WAS BERATED 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, YOU KNOW, IT'S BROUGHT PAIN AND SUFFERING IN
ANY WAY, THAT'S IT WAS USED TO MARGINALIZE PEOPLE, IT'S
UPSETTING, GENUINELY.
>> Stephen: WELL, I MEAN, I'M-- I DON'T WANT TO STAND HERE
AND HOLD YOUR FEET TO THE FIRE.
I'M ANOTHER MIDDLE-AGED WHITE GUY WHO HAS CERTAINLY OFFENDED A
LOT OF PEOPLE IN MY DAY.
( LAUGHTER ) BUT I HAVE NOTHING TO STAND ON
HERE.
BUT I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT "THE SIMPSON'S" RESPONSE EARLIER THIS
MONTH.
THAT UPSET A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I HAVE SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT HAPPENED IS HERE.
MARGE IS READING LISA A BEDTIME STORY.
AND LISA IS READING SOMETHING THAT STARTED DECADES AGO AND WAS
APPLAUDED AND INOFFENSIVE IS NOW POLITICALLY INCORRECT, WHAT CAN
YOU DO?
SHE LOOKS OVER AT A FRAMED PICTURE OF APU WITH THE LINE
"DON'T HAVE A COW" ON IT.
AND MARGE SAYS SOME THINGS WILL BE DEALT WITH AT A LATER DATE.
AND SHE RESPONDS, IF AT ALL.
MANY PEOPLE DID NOT LIKE THAT RESPONSE.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE SHOW'S RESPONSE AND DID YOU HAVE
ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT?
>> I DID NOT.
I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WRITING.
APU DOES NOT SPEAK IN THAT.
I SAW IT RIGHT AROUND THE SAME TIME EVERYBODY ELSE IN AMERICA
DID, SO I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS GOING TO BE IN IT UNTIL I SAW
IT.
I THINK IF ANYBODY CAME AWAY FROM THAT SEGMENT FEELING THAT
THEY SHOULD LIGHTEN UP OR TAKE A JOKE BETTER OR GROW A THICKER
SKIN -- >> Stephen: THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE
SAID.
LIKE, "WE'VE HEARD WHAT YOU SAID AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO RESPOND."
>> YEAH, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT THE WAY I FEEL ABOUT IT.
AND THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT THE MESSAGE THAT I WANT TO-- I WANT
TO SEND.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD HAPPEN WITH THE CHARACTER
GOING FORWARD?
>> I'VE GIVEN THIS A LOT OF THOUGHT, REALLY A LOT OF
THOUGHT.
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-- ABOUT
THIS CHARACTER, AND WHAT THEIR AMERICAN EXPERIENCE OF IT HAS
BEEN.
AND AS YOU KNOW, IN TELEVISION TERMS, LISTENING TO VOICES MEANS
INCLUSION IN THE WRITERS' ROOM.
I REALLY WANT TO SEE INDIAN, SOUTH ASIAN WRITER, WRITERS IN
THE ROOM, NOT IN A TOKEN WAY, BUT GENUINELY INFORMING WHATEVER
NEW DIRECTION THIS CHARACTER MAY TAKE, INCLUDING HOW IT IS VOICED
OR NOT VOICED.
YOU KNOW, I'M PERFECTLY WILLING AND HAPPY TO STEP ASIDE OR HELP
TRANSITION IT INTO SOMETHING NEW.
I REALLY HOPE THAT'S WHAT THE OF "THE SIMPSONS" DOES.
AND IT NOT ONLY MAKES SENSE, BUT IT JUST FEELS LIKE THE RIGHT
THING TO DO TO ME.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: IT WILL BE
INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
>> WE SHALL SEE.
>> Stephen: DO YOU FEEL-- YOU MUST HAVE AN AMAZING EMOTIONAL
ATTACHMENT TO THESE CHARACTERS THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR YEARS.
YOU'VE DONE SO MANY VOICES OVER THE YEARS.
DO YOU ALWAYS FEEL AN EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO MEAS
CHARACTERIZATIONS OR CAN YOU SORT OF, LIKE, DROP THEM?
>> NOT ALWAYS, NO.
IT DEPENDS ON THE QUALITY, I WOULD SAY.
UN, OVER THE YEARS I'VE HAD TO, YOU KNOW, AUDITION FOR MANY
VOICEOVERS.
AND THE-- LIKE THE WEIRDEST ONE WAS PROBABLY A CHARACTER CALLED
JELLO MAN.
( LAUGHTER ) WHICH-- I'M NOT LYING ABOUT
THIS.
IT WAS A COMPUTER-GENERATED JELLO "O" THAT LIVED IN YOUR
REFRIGERATOR, THAT THEY WANTED TO GIVE A VOICE TO.
IT WAS AN AD CAMPAIGN.
YOU OPENED YOUR FRIDGE AND THERE WAS THIS JELLO OHIO THAT LIVED
THERE.
HE WOULD TALK TO YOU.
HE'D SAY THINGS.
I REALLY AUDITIONS -- >> Stephen: LIKE WHAT?
>> WELL -- >> Stephen: DID YOU GET THE
PART.
>> THAT WOULD BE GIVING AWAY THE END OF THE STORY.
>> Stephen: I'M SORRY.
>> I FIGURE HE'S A VAGRANT, RIGHT, HE LIVES IN YOUR
REFRIGERATOR.
SO I GIVE HIM A VOICE, "HEY, HOW YOU DOING?
I'M JELLO MAN.
WHY DON'T YOU SHUT THE DOOR YOU'RE LETTING THE COLD OUT!"
THE CASTING DIRECTOR, WHO WAS A VERY LOVELY LADY, KIND OF
DISNEY-ESQUE, VERY CHIPPER AND LOVELY, AND SHE GAVE ME A VERY
LONG LIST OF DIRECTIONS ABOUT HOW SHE WANTED ME TO REDO THE
CHARACTER: "YOU KNOW, WE DO WANT THE CHARACTER TO HAVE AN
EDGE, SHE SAID."
"BUT WE DON'T WANT HIM TO FRIGHTEN THE CHILDREN SO MAYBE
IF YOU DO THIS..." AND SHE'S GOING ON AND ON.
AND AS SHE'S TALK I'M REALIZING, BOY, NOT ONLY AM I EVER DOING
THIS CHARACTER, BUT I'M NEVER AUDITIONING FAIR STUPID DMECIAL
LIKE THIS AGAIN.
SHE WENT ON SO LONG I HAD TIME TO PLAN AN EXIT LINE.
SHE FINISHED WHAT SHE WAS SAYING AND I JUST LOOKED AT HER AND I
SAID, "YOU DO REALIZE THAT JELLO MAN IS NOT REAL, DON'T YOU?"
( LAUGHTER ) AND SHE SAID, "OH, THAT'S VERY
FUNNY.
BUT, SERIOUSLY, WILL YOU DO IT AGAIN?"
AND I SAID, "OH, NO, THIS PHASE OF MY CAREER IS OVER."
AND IT'S TRUE.
>> Stephen: YOU LEARNED SOMETHING IN THAT MOMENT.
>> DI.
>> Stephen: WELL, NOW, ONE OF THE GREAT VOICES IN ALL OF
SPORTS BROADCASTING, BROCKMIRE-- >> JIM BROCKMIRE.
>> Stephen: "BROCKMIRE" IS BACK.
NEW SEASON BEGINS TOMORROW NIGHT.
OBVIOUSLY, PERFECT TIME, BASEBALL SEASON HAS STARTED.
>> YES!
>> Stephen: WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS CLIP WE HAVE HERE.
HE'S A TROUBLED MAN, BROCKMIRE.
>> TO SAY THE LEAST.
I THINK TROUBLED WOULD BE A BIG STEP UP FOR HIM.
WHEN I TALK ABOUT BROCKMIRE, I HAVE TO TALK AS BROCKMIRE.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND.
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS CLIP?
>> HE'S TALKING TO HIS YOUNG FRIEND CHARLES.
HE'S VERY FRUSTRATED.
HE'S MOVED UP TO TRIPLE "A."
BUT HE WAS PROMISED THE BIG-LEAGUE JOB AND HE HASN'T
GOTTEN IT YET AND HE'S NOT HANDLING IT TOO WELL.
>> Stephen: JIM.
>> WHAT'S THE HOLD-UP?
SERIOUSLY.
WHAT I DO HAVE TO DO?
I'VE PLAYED BY ALL THE STUPID RULES, HAVE I NOT.
>> HE'S A MORE LIKABLE VIN SCULLY AND YOU'RE NOT...
( BURPS ) LIKE THAT.
IT WILL LOOK LIKE WE'RE PUSHING HIM OUT.
>> HE'S 75.
A STIFF GRISE BREES AND UNEVEN SIDEWALK, AND DOWN HE'LL GO.
>> WANT TO HEAR THE GOOD NEWS?
AS OF TODAY, WE HAVE THE NUMBER THREE PODCAST IN AMERICA.
>> NO (BLEEP).
REMIND ME TO ASK THAT MARTIN MARIN HOW MY ASS TASTES.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: YEAH.
WELL, WE'LL BE WATCHING ALL SEASON LONG.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, HANK AZARIA.
"BROCKMIRE" RETURNS TOMORROW NIGHT ON IFC.
HANK AZARIA, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH RONAN FARROW.