Hank Azaria, the voice of Apu in The Simpsons, appeared apologetic this week for his portrayal of Apu, a character of Indian descent with a stereotypical accent.
Azaria told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show “It was certainly not my intention [to cause offense with his portrayal of Apu]. I wanted to spread laughter and joy with this character and the idea that it was used to marginalize people, it’s upsetting, genuinely.”
Shortly after hearing Azaria’s comments, Hari Kondabalu, producer of the documentary, The Problem with Apu, sent a tweet praising Azaria for his remarks.
Thank you, @HankAzaria. I appreciate what you said & how you said it. https://t.co/Otmxygf3DP
— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) April 25, 2018
Azaria distanced himself from a recent controversial Simpson’s episode when the show’s creators seemed to be indifferent to Kondabalu’s concerns.
“The idea that anyone young or old, past or present, being bullied based on Apu really makes me sad,” Azaria said, according to the BBC.
Kondabalu’s documentary sparked a wide range of reaction ranging from praise to indifference.
To all the people who are calling my #TheProblemWithApu documentary “Politically Correct” & calling me a SJW: NO ONE IS MAKING YOU WATCH IT, YOU SNOWFLAKES. YOU CAN’T MAKE ANYTHING WITHOUT TROLL SNOWFLAKES CRYING ABOUT IT. THIS IS AMERICA, YOU DON’T LIKE HOW IT WORKS…GET OUT!
— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) November 12, 2017
Kondabalu spent a great amount of time in his documentary trying to get Azaria to speak to him. At one point, Azaria seemed opened to the idea, but it never happened.
Azaria’s interview on The Late Show marks a major turning point.
Among the notable things he said:
“I really want to see Indian, South Asian writers in the writers room… including how [Apu] is voiced or not voiced.
“I’m perfectly willing and happy to step aside, or help transition it into something new.
“It not only makes sense, it just feels like the right thing to do to me.”
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RE: Hank Azaria Says He Now Understands the Problem with Apu: Big fan of Azaria and his impressions talent; don’t take that away from Azaria. With the wonderful buzz about Crazy Rich Asians and its all Asian cast, the challenge now is to get more East. South and Southeast Asian writers, directors, and actors into the studios REGULARLY AND AUTHENTICALLY.