Harry Shearer, 76 is not happy with The Simpsons decision to not let white actors voice the non-white characters!

In June 2020, producers of the show The Simpsons decided that the white actors would no longer lend their voices to non-white characters of this animated sitcom.
This was considering the hot subject of representation and diversity going on in the USA and Hollywood.

But cast member Harry Shearer is not happy with this decision. He voiced his disagreement when he spoke to Times Radio recently.

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Harry Shearer and his displeasure

The actor Harry Shearer is not pleased with the new decision that the producers of The Simpsons made.

The producers of the show stated that no white actor would voice a black character on the show. Harry has a different point of view on this subject. He expressed his displeasure to Times Radio recently.

Harry said:

“I have a very simple belief about acting,”

The 76-year-old actor continued:

“The job of the actor is to play someone who they’re not. That’s the gig. That’s the job description.”

Harry has been an integral part of the series for the last three decades. He has given his voice to several characters including Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman, Rev. Lovejoy, and Dr. Hibbert. The latter is a colored race doctor.

Harry and his say

The actor further explained:

“I’m not a rich nuclear plant owner. I’m not a Bible-believing Christian that lives next to Homer (Simpson),”

He was referring to the characters of Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders which he voiced. He said:

“I’m not any of those people.”

Yet, he did voice them. He stated that this is performance and is not a representation:

“I think there’s a conflation between representation, which is important. People from all backgrounds should be represented in the writing and producing ends of the business so they help decide what stories to tell and with what knowledge,”
“Performance … is playing the part you are not.”

Harry does have a point there!

Also, read Interracial Relationships; Five Famous White Celebrities Who Got Married To Black Celebrities!

Harry explains further…

Though Harry shared his opinion, he did not label the decision as a mistake or a wrong act. He said:

“I’m not opining publicly on the matter. I mean, frankly, we don’t get paid by the voice.”

Harry is a highly talented voice-over actor. In the year 2014, he won an award at the Primetime Emmy function for outstanding character voice-over performance.

This was for his work on the episode Four Regrettings and a Funeral of the show.

It is not clear now after the decision as to who will not provide his voice for the character of Dr. Hibbert.

The matter has gained momentum since the reemergence of the Black Lives Matter movement and nationwide anti-racism protests after the death of George Floyd.

Earlier, Hank Azaria used to voice the character of Apu, an Indian ethnic group negative character. But he stepped down from this role.

Hank spoke in February 2020 and said:

“Once I realized that that was the way this character was thought of, I just didn’t want to participate in it anymore,”
“It just didn’t feel right.”

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