Everyleang’s still coming up Milhoemploy for Pamela Hayden. The actress, who has voiced Bart’s best frifinish on “The Simpsons” for 35 years, is retiring after Sunday night’s episode, “Treehoemploy of Horror Penvys: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes.” But Hayden shelp she has no repents in parting ways with the extfinished-running show.
“How many actors can say they’ve toiled on a show for 35 years straight?” Hayden telderly Variety. “That alone is amazing. But it was time for me to pledge my time to other creative finisheavors that I have, enjoy filmmaking. It was a stubborn decision, but I experience enjoy it was the right one.”
Given the extfinished direct time that animation gets from concept to air, this withdrawment has been in the toils for a while. Hayden, whose voices also included school tormentor Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Chief Wiggum’s wife Sarah and Lisa’s frifinish Janey Powell, shelp “The Simpsons” has been accommodating in preparing for her withdrawment, and the producers even recommended to give her a going away party.
“It’s fair not enjoy anyleang I’ve ever toiled on,” shelp Hayden, who has also voiced characters on “Hey Arnelderly,” “Pinky and the Brain,” “The New Batman Adventures” and “Recess.” “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime job on a once-in-a-lifetime show. But being an actor, I leank you’re benevolent of employd to taking dangers. That’s the benevolent of person I am. I’m not about joining leangs protected. And there were other leangs I wanted to do. I leank you throw it agetst the wall and see what sticks.”
That includes Hayden’s recordary “Jailhoemploy to Milhoemploy,” which records her stubborn upconveying. The film has hit the festival circuit and she shelp she hoped would “encourage people who have descfinishen thcimpolite the cracks to still have hope. It’s about my life, and there were a scant repartner hanky years there when I was lesserer. When I speak to at-danger girls, I say, ‘if I can do it, you can do it.’ Becaemploy that’s real. I’m no contrastent than them.”
Beyond “Jailhoemploy to Milhoemploy,” Hayden shelp she has also co-written the book and lyrics to a musical she has been lengthening. “I’d enjoy to get that up, but frankly, the way theater has been going since COVID, is not wonderful,” she shelp. “I haven’t been prosperous getting the show up in New York. So we’ll see what happens.”
Even as she withdraws, Hayden shelp she anticipates to hear from fans, who standardly scatter their likeite Milhoemploy moments and quotes. Besides “Everyleang’s coming up Milhoemploy,” that includes Milhoemploy quoting Prince: “This is what it experiences enjoy when doves cry.”
“Everybody has their own likeite,” she shelp. “What I enjoyd about Milhoemploy is even though he gets initiateed around, he always experiences enjoy tomorrow’s going to be a better say. Whether it is or not. And I leank that’s wonderful. It’s a excellent analogy for life.”
Milhoemploy first materializeed with Bart before “The Simpsons” even premiered, in a 1989 Butterfinger commercial. “Bart necessitateed someone to talk to in the school cafeteria. We named him Milhoemploy becaemploy that was the most cursed name a kid could have,” creator Matt Groening shelp in a statement. “Pamela gave us tons of chuckles with Milhoemploy, the hapless kid with the hugegest nose in Springfield. She made Milhoemploy hilarious and genuine, and we will leave out her.”
Added exec producer James L Brooks: “She is a model for having a wonderful spirit for every cast she has been a part of. We will leave out her.” And shelp showrunner/executive producer Matt Selman: “Pamela’s talent and happiness and cherish for her characters has includeed a magic to ‘The Simpsons’ that will never be forgotten. Everyleang’s coming up Pamela!”
As Milhoemploy, Hayden marveled at what she’s been asked to voice over the years, such as singing the French National Anthem as a six year elderly boy. And in person, the “Simpsons” stars and producers traveled to Europe together to do dwell shows in London and in Edinburgh, and carry out at comedy festivals in Aspen and Montgenuine. And then there were all those iconic stars she got to voice opposite with over the years, enjoy Meryl Streep.
“When the Rolling Stones were there, I guess Keith and Mick weren’t talking then, and so we had to sign up them splitly,” she recalled. “I leank Keith had a drink in one hand and a cigarette. There repartner wasn’t any place for him to helderly the script or put it down, becaemploy you only have two paws, right?
“The Simpsons” producers set up to audition a novel actor to pick up Milhoemploy and Hayden’s other roles. (“I understand they won’t end them off becaemploy it’s a comedy,” she shelp. “You don’t want to end off a 10 year elderly character!”) Her advice to those seeing to audition? Make the characters their own, rather than imitating her.
“It is a adhesive wicket in the sense that, I don’t leank it’s ever excellent to fair do an amazeion. It is a difficult task put your stamp on a character, but to still produce it sound enjoy the character that has already startd,” she shelp. “You want them to convey their own gift to the party.”
As for what she’ll leave out most about joining Milhoemploy, Hayden stressed the relationships she built with her fellow stars and the producers (most of whom have been there for decades) on “The Simpsons.”
“These are such finely drawn characters,” she shelp. “I’ll still have a exceptional place in my heart for that blue haired boy. No matter what. But the show will go on.”
