Another October means The Simpsons returns with another “Treehouse of Horror” installment. This year’s “Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening” put a fan-favorite character back in the spotlight by letting him speak his mind.
You’ve probably seen it on social media already: Apu, previously voiced by Hank Azaria, uttered his first words in nearly a decade. Discussions of a South Asian character being voiced by a white actor (and its impact on actual South Asian people and performers) came to a head with comedian Hari Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary, The Problem With Apu. Following its release, Azaria backed out of the role, and the character’s been seen, but not heard in episodes since then.
In “The Revengening,” he’s voiced by Sunil Malhotra, whose voice credits include Gilmore in The Legend of Vox Machina and Prince Wu in The Legend of Korra. And it’s not just Apu that’s received a new voice; his wife, Manjula, is now voiced by Janina Gavankar (Alan Wake II) after she was previously played by Jan Hooks and Tress MacNeille.
Speaking to Variety, executive producer Matt Selman revealed the idea to bring Apu back came from “The Revengening” writer Nick Dahan and co-EP Cesar Mazariegos. Malhotra, for his part, admitted to feeling nervous when he was contacted about coming into The Simpsons. “I knew exactly what role it was for,” he recalled. “Admittedly, part of me was curious. It’d been eight years since Apu spoke on the show, and it got me thinking: did the writers room look different now? Could they bring him back in a way that acknowledged and apologized for past mistakes? Could I make the character my own, and reclaim him in some way?”
Discussions with the producers assuaged his concerns. For him, the best part of “The Revengening” was getting to shout “I AM APU!,” which he said was done “over and over in the studio until we got it just right. I really feel like we did, and I can’t wait for fans to see more Apu.”
Selman similarly teased that Apu and his family would return to The Simpsons in a long-term capacity, saying, “We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.”
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