Last month the character of Apu in The Simpsons became a talking point following comedian Hari Kondabolu's documentary investigating how much he is considered a racist stereotype to people of Indian and Asian descent.
Called The Problem with Apu, Kondabolu looked at the issues with how the character is represented on screen and interviewed a range of different personalities to get their views.
Speaking to the BBC, Kondabolu said at the time, "The Simpsons is an important work of art that has influenced so many, including myself. Apu was the only Indian we had on TV at all so I was happy for any representation as a kid. And of course he’s funny, but that doesn’t mean this representation is accurate or right or righteous."
Adding, "He’s defined almost entirely by his job. But he also happens to have eight kids, a joke about India having so many people, and he has an arranged marriage via this weird matchmaking system that’s almost like football draft picks.
"And even though some may defend Apu with ‘Well, he’s a small business owner, and he’s a key part of the community and he’s loved,’ he’s still so limiting, because he’s never grown. I mean, some Simpsons characters have changed – some have died, Flanders became a widow. But the only Indian in town has always been a convenience store owner."
Actor Hank Azaria, who voices the character of Apu on The Simpsons (among many others), did not make any comment at the time, but has recently given his thoughts.
Speaking to TMZ, the actor said, "I think the documentary made some really interesting points and gave us a lot to think about and we really are thinking about it.
"Definitely anybody that was hurt or offended by it, or by any character or vocal performance, it's really upsetting that it was offensive or hurtful to anybody."
Asked whether this could lead to changes to the character on the show, Azaria said, "I think it's an important conversation worth having. We're still thinking about it. It's a lot to digest."
Azaria said all this while basically walking into an airport where he was approached by a reporter from TMZ, so a decent enough reply considering he was speaking on the fly.
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