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Updated April 14th, 2021 at 09:28 IST

'The Simpsons' star Hank Azaria wants to 'apologize to every Indian' for voicing Apu

A year after stepping down from voicing Apu on "The Simpsons," Hank Azaria continued to apologise for promoting stereotypical depictions of Indian characters

Reported by: Gloria Methri
AP
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More than a year after stepping down from voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on the popular sitcom "The Simpsons," actor Hank Azaria continues to apologise for his role in promoting stereotypical depictions of Indian characters in American shows.

On Monday's episode of the podcast "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard", Hazaria reflected on playing the controversial character. His response was praised by Shepard after which Hari Kondabolu thanked him too. Kondabolu's 2017 documentary titled The Problem With Apu shed light on the treatment and negative stereotypes related to Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

Nahasapeemapetilon, an Indian immigrant character with a thick accent, runs the Kwik-E-Mart business in the fictional town of Springfield.

"It's not about congratulating me for the response because I'm a big part in creating the problem, to begin with. So, nothing takes that away except maybe amends over time which I am attempting to make," Azaria said on the podcast.

'It's practically a slur'

The Hollywood star recalled chatting with Indian students at his son's school "to get their input" before taking over the role. One 17-year-old student who never watched "The Simpsons" was still aware of the Apu character, Azaria said.

"It's practically a slur at this point. All he knows is that is how his people are thought of and represented to many people in this country,” he said. Azaria added that the young man got emotional and asked him to share the message that such characters have ramifications.

"I really do apologize. It's important. I apologize for my part in creating that and participating in that. Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize. And sometimes I do," Azaria said.

The long-running animated sitcom has drawn criticism over the last few years owing to its racially stereotypical behaviour, and the fact that it was voiced by a Caucasian actor. Azaria still lends voice to characters including Moe Szyslak on The Simpsons, but now is a major supporter for casting actors of colour to voice characters of colour.

Last year, Black actor Alex Désert took over the voice of African American character Carl Carlson on "The Simpsons,” which was previously voiced by Azaria.

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Published April 14th, 2021 at 09:28 IST

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