It’s a cliché to call something a “lifelong dream,” but I really did have a Simpsons poster on the wall of my childhood bedroom. Recently, I wrote an entry about the simultaneous popularity and weirdness of Nirvana, and The Simpsons is another one of those rare gems that manages to balance extreme mass appeal with genuine intelligence and uniqueness. Of course, it’s a far rarer gem that can do it for 36 seasons in a row. It’s actually more rare than a rare gem. It’s the only gem like that. It’s a gem on a pedestal in a brightly lit vault with red laser lines criss crossing all over the place. Anyway.
When I first saw the email offering me a part on The Simpsons, I yelped and laughed at the same time. But then I think I gasped when I saw the role they were offering me. Because, of course, any opportunity to be on The Simpsons is an honor. But there’s a very special accolade with this particular show, and that’s when you get to play yourself. They draw you with the Simpsonian upper lip. You know you’ve truly made it as a culturally relevant person. And…I didn’t get that. But! I actually think I got something cooler. And I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m bragging, I guess I am in a way, I’m just very excited.
A big part of what makes The Simpsons so awesome is the deep bench of secondary characters populating the show’s hometown of Springfield. There’s Flanders, there’s Moe, there’s Groundskeeper Willie. But looming large on both personal and macro scales is the ethically questionable billionaire, the nuclear energy baron, the “release the hounds” arch villain, Homer Simpson’s boss’s boss’s boss, the one and only Montgomery Burns.
So, in this new episode (that you can watch on Disney+) Lisa Simpson goes back in time and meets Mr. Burns as a younger man. And that’s the part I got to play—Young Monty Burns.
Now, finding the voice for such an iconic character was daunting. I was definitely worried I’d piss a bunch of people off. Maybe I have. Although, so far, people seem to like it. I’ll give a lot of credit to one of the show’s producers, Rob LaZebnik, who was directing me during the sessions. The first question I asked him was, “So like, do you want me to try to do Mr. Burns? Because I’m not the best impressions guy.” And he said no, he didn’t think I should sound exactly like Mr. Burns, that wouldn’t be the point. He actually wanted me to try a range of approaches, on a spectrum of more and less Burnsy.
So, I would try some takes where I was basically just using my own voice. Then I would try some takes where I was doing my best Mr. Burns voice. And we tried a bunch of variations somewhere in the middle. But, it turned out, the takes they used were the Burnsiest. Because even when I was trying to sound a lot like him, I don’t sound exactly like him. And that difference, I guess, was what the character needed.
Here’s the offer letter Rob sent me, I thought you might enjoy:
I also want to send a big hug to Yeardley Smith, the inimitable voice of Lisa Simpson. (Btw, I later went on her podcast, which is supposed to come out some time this year.) On my way to the recording studio, I thought I’d be performing alone. That’s how most stuff gets done nowadays. But, when I arrived, to my very pleasant surprise, there was Yeardley. She actually told me that The Simpsons cast always used to record all together, in person, which sounded like a dream from a bygone era, and I guess it is. She said they started recording asynchronously during the pandemic and haven’t gone back. Which only made it all the more special that she made the trip to join my session in person.
Because the most thrilling moment of the whole experience was Yeardley magic. We went into the larger booth together, with two microphones set up. I put on my headphones. And that first moment when she started doing her dialogue, and it sounded, well, it sounded exactly like Lisa Simpson. I was transported. I was acting with a person, but I was acting with a larger-than-life entity. A cartoon in living flesh. A fixture in my own psyche. A champion of smart, overlooked, saxophone playing badass girls everywhere. It was an uncanny feeling.
My sincere thanks to both Yeardley and Lisa, as well as Homer, Marge, Bart, and Maggie. Lest we forget Smithers. And how about a morsel of sympathy for all the wounded billionaires out there with festering trauma in their pasts, mini-moose related or otherwise—let’s just take a moment to give thanks for Mr. Burns. 🔴
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