Apu has found his voice again on The Simpsons.
Hank Azaria voiced the character for close to 30 years until a 2017 documentary ignited a backlash over how the character represented South Asians. Since then, the fan favorite has been seen on the show, but not heard. Until now.
Tonight’s episode, “The Revengening,” is a prelude to next week’s annual “Treehouse of Horror” frightfest. It centers on a mysterious figure and a plot out of the Scream movies. When the mystery man finally reveals himself, it turns out he is none other than Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
Apu not only has a new lease on life in Springfield, he has a new actor voicing him: Sunil Malhotra. Malhotra has a long list of voice credits, including in massively popular video games such as World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Halo: Reach, Fallout 4, Mortal Kombat 1 and many more. On TV, he has appeared on ER, Grey’s Anatomy, Cold Case, House, NCIS: New Orleans, The Loud House, Monster High and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.
Sunil Malhotra (Paul Smith)
“When my agent called me about a Simpsons audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink,” said Malhotra. “But admittedly, part of me was also curious. It had been eight years since Apu had spoken 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? And could they achieve all of that in an unmistakably Simpsons way that didn’t disappoint fans?”
The actor said he was prepared to walk away from the role on TV’s longest-running primetime show if he felt the intentions were not respectful.
“My callback was the first of many times that no one at The Simpsons let me down,” he continued. “I told Casting that I’d only consider an offer if I could meet showrunner Matt Selman and Co-Executive Producer Cesar Mazariegos, both of whom gladly did so. It was the beginning of a deeply collaborative experience that I hope is equally satisfying for longtime fans of The Simpsons and for other South Asian kids who, like me, stopped watching at some point along the way. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the sweetest part of all was unleashing that righteously rage-fueled “I AM APU!” [in tonight’s episode] — on behalf of so many of us — 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 was equally enthusiastic, saying in a statement, “We love this character and wanted to bring him back in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve. We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.”