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Harry Shearer leaves THE SIMPSONS
Topic Started: May 14, 2015, 5:09 pm (54 Views)
Dr Archeville
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After 26 seasons of giving life to nincompoops, do-gooders, and even God, actor Harry Shearer has announced he'll be leaving The Simpsons. A stalwart of the show, Shearer has voiced central characters such as Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Reverend Lovejoy and Principal Seymour Skinner.

In a tweet sent in the wee hours of Thursday, Shearer said he was leaving "because I wanted what we've always had: the freedom to do other work."

That message came on the heels of a quote from the lawyer for Simpsons producer James L. Brooks, saying the "show will go on, Harry will not be part of it, wish him the best."

Shearer, 71, later sent a note saying, "Thanks, Simpsons fans, for your support."

Read more here.

"Freedom to do other work" seems an odd statement, since he has been doing other things while working on the show. Such as directing and narrating the documentary The Big Uneasy, a film about how "the flooding of New Orleans was not a natural disaster, but rather the product of more than four decades of design and construction flaws in a system Congress had ordered the US Army Corps of Engineers to build to, ironically, protect New Orleans from serious damage from a hurricane.”

I also wonder how they'll handle this. I can't imagine them writing out all the characters he's voiced over the years.
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Blue Phoenix
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I understand he's been a big part of the show, but suspect they'll find other voice actors to approximate his characters, the same way other shows (Looney Tunes' Mel Blanc comes to mind) have handled it. It will be interesting to see what he does next!
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Dr Archeville
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Indeed. I can't imagine they'd write out all the dozens of characters Shearer's done -- some, maybe, but not all -- and I'm sure they can find a (or a few) voice performers to fill in.

I've also heard there may be more to his leaving than "wanting to do other things." Apparently he's been the most vocal agitator, over the length of the series, with regards to pay and compensation for merchandizing.
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Blue Phoenix
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It would be sad to think the voice actors weren't getting a proper share for their great contributions... but this wouldn't be the first time I've heard of that problem for voice actors.
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