Harry Shearer Speaks Out About “The Simpsons'” Recent Decision On Future Of Casting For The Show As Franchise Celebrates VANS Footwear Release Date

Most of the voice cast for The Simpsons has been relatively quiet since the show’s announcement last month about no longer hiring white actors to play PoC characters until now. In a recent interview with Radio Times, Harry Shearer, the lone actor from the show to take on Hari Kondabolu after the release of The Problem with Apu on TruTV, has spoken out and didn’t pull any punches as it pertained to the current state of the industry:

“The job of the actor is to play someone who they’re not.”

The actor should know, he voices a number of different characters with different backgrounds on The Simpsons including Skinner, Smithers, Hibbert, and a number of others that span race, sexual orientation, profession, etc. The result is a series that has spanned 30+ seasons, “That’s the gig, that’s the job description.”

“People from all backgrounds should be represented in the writing and producing ends of the business so they help decide what stories to tell and with what knowledge”

The Simpsons is set to return this Fall and just in time for the announcement is VANS footwear launching their crossover with The Simpsons first announced during Comic-Con weekend. We now know that the shoe collaboration is set to release on August 7th along with a line of shirts, backpacks and more.