THE SIMPSONS AND FAMILY GUY TO CAST BLACK ACTORS FOR BLACK CHARACTERS
The two long-running Fox shows make their casts more representative of what’s on screen.
The animation industry is going through a lot of changes lately as it realizes that its characters of colour must be voiced by actors of colour as well. The producers of The Simpsons have said that they will no longer hire white actors to play characters of colour on the series. Similarly, one of the key voice actors on Family Guy has decided to step down from the role of the main black character of the show.
In an official statement on Friday, The Simpsons said, “Moving forward, The Simpsons will no longer have White actors voice non-White characters.”
On the same day, Mike Henry, who has voiced for the character of Cleveland Brown in Family Guy, announced his decision to quit via Twitter. He wrote, “It’s been an honour to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of colour should play characters of colour. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.”
The decisions by The Simpsons showrunners and the Family Guy voice actor Henry came just sometime after similar moves by Apple’s Central Park and Netflix’s Big Mouth. Both Apple and Netflix had decided to recast mixed-race characters with biracial or Black actors. Kristen Bell voiced Molly on Central Park, and Jenny Slate has played the role of Missy on Big Mouth.
The changes in The Simpsons and Family Guy are another step in the goal to achieve inclusivity in the animation industry. However, some of us can’t help but notice that the changes have come only after the industry realized that it could no longer face the criticism. One does wonder whether the move towards inclusivity is due to open-mindedness or external pressure.
Whatever the reasons might have been, we are happy to see that white people can also learn from mistakes and take steps to do better in the future. It is hoped that other known names in the entertainment industry would soon follow the examples set by The Simpsons, Family Guy, Big Mouth, and Central Park.
