Madrid, Spain.
Actor Hank Azaria, the voice of the Apu character in “The Simpsons” in his original version, apologized to the Indian community for an interpretation that he himself defines as “practically an insult”, promoting the creation of stereotypes.
The character of this merchant has generated controversy on several occasions, especially after the documentary “Problem with Apu” by Indian-American comedian Hari Kondabolu, who said in 2017 that the character was created based on racial prejudice.
A year after she stopped giving voice to the character, Azaria admitted in the podcast Dax Shepherd’s Armchair Expert that this documentary made him doubt his continuity in collaborating with the drawing of the television series.
Although the actor insists that the character was created without malicious intent, admits that this “does not mean that there are no real negative consequences”.
For this reason, the actor stated that part of him feels that he has to “go to all the Indians in this country (USA) and apologize personally.
Apu’s character has been for many years only the televised representation American from Indian and Hindu culture And this, added to the success of the cartoon series, has contributed to the worldwide spread of stereotypes.
“This is how you think and represent your people for many people in this country,” Azaria said.
Indian students
The actor recalled a specific moment in which he spoke Indian students at your child’s school to get his or her opinion of the character.
He mentioned a conversation with a 17-year-old man who had not even seen. “The Simpsons“But he knew what Apu was talking about.
The very creator of “The Simpsons“Matt Groening came to recognize that the characters needed a change and is currently being studied to reinvent them in some way.
They have specific plans for Apu’s character, because it will return with a new voice and a new function beyond being the manager of the Kwik-E-Mart store.
“Fanaticism and racism remain an incredible issue, and it is good to look for more equality and representation in the end,” Groening said.