Priyanka Chopra is speaking out against controversial Simpsons character Apu.
“He was the bane of my life growing up, for sure,” Chopra, who lived in India before moving to the United States as a teenager, said during an appearance on Thursday’s The View.
Controversy has surrounded the character since the release of a documentary last year called The Problem with Apu, streaming on truTV.com, in which writer Hari Kondabolu argued the Indian shopkeeper Apu Nahasapeemapetilon perpetuates racial stereotypes through mannerisms and an exaggerated accent.
“A lot of people are talking about, ‘Oh, the show was so successful for 30 years, why are we suddenly waking up and being offended by a character that everyone loved?’ ” the 35-year-old Quantico star said, before explaining the difference is that people of color have a louder voice now than they did when The Simpsons began airing in 1989.
“What happened from that time to now, the population of Indian Americans has tripled. So the voice is louder. Representation for people of color is louder. There’s the Internet and the media, where people can have a conversation,” she added.
Because of the cartoon character, Chopra said her high school classmates often asked her ignorant questions.
“I was always asked when I was in high school at 14, 15, why I didn’t speak like that. Or are my parents doctors (which they are)? Did I find gold in my rivers? Did I go to school on elephants? I always had questions like that,” Chopra said.
“So I think, yes, it is a time where, why try to erase stereotype? Yes, it is a cartoon. Yes, it’s a pop culturally super successful show. But that gives it more responsibility. It’s out of date on so many levels,” she added.
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Last week Hank Azaria, who provides the voice of the character, revealed that he was willing to step away from the role.
“The idea that anybody, young or old, past or present, was bullied or teased based on the character of Apu, it just really makes me sad. It was certainly not my intention. I wanted to spread laughter and joy with this character, and the idea that it’s brought pain and suffering in any way, that it was used to marginalize people, it’s upsetting. Genuinely,” he said during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“I am perfectly willing and happy to step aside or help transition it into something new,” he added. “I really hope that’s what The Simpsons does. It not only makes sense, but it just feels like the right thing to do to me.”
Simpsons creator Matt Groening seemed to take a different point of view during an interview with USA Today last week, when he said he was “proud of what we do on the show.”
Brushing off the criticism he added, “I think it’s a time in our culture where people love to pretend they’re offended.”
He also referenced an episode of The Simpsons that aired last month in which, addressing the controversy, Marge and Lisa had a conversation about a beloved childhood book that was more racist than Marge remembered it.
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“Well, what am I supposed to do?” Marge asked.
“It’s hard to say. Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?” Lisa responded, looking directly at the camera before the shot zoomed in on a photo of Apu with the message, “Don’t have a cow.”
“Some things will be dealt with at a later date,” Marge said before Lisa added, “If at all.”
Asked to explain what that exchange meant, Groening replied, “We’ll let the show speak for itself.”
