Hank Azaria

I also, in my mid-20s, I was already on The Simpsons, but I went to an acting class for a guy named Roy London, who was a genius acting teacher. He's passed away many years. But he didn't let me do a voice or be funny for about four years in class. He said, you can do that. You need to now put yourself in these roles, which was very hard for me because I wanted to be anybody but myself.

I also, in my mid-20s, I was already on The Simpsons, but I went to an acting class for a guy named Roy London, who was a genius acting teacher. He's passed away many years. But he didn't let me do a voice or be funny for about four years in class. He said, you can do that. You need to now put yourself in these roles, which was very hard for me because I wanted to be anybody but myself.

I also, in my mid-20s, I was already on The Simpsons, but I went to an acting class for a guy named Roy London, who was a genius acting teacher. He's passed away many years. But he didn't let me do a voice or be funny for about four years in class. He said, you can do that. You need to now put yourself in these roles, which was very hard for me because I wanted to be anybody but myself.

And he was like, idiot. Really great acting means you're willing to share yourself with people. It doesn't matter if you sound like Chief Wiggum or like Moe or like Bruce or like your grandma. It doesn't matter what you sound like. It has to be you underneath it. And that time in that class is what made the physicality and the ability to take a run at what Peter Sellers was doing for me.

And he was like, idiot. Really great acting means you're willing to share yourself with people. It doesn't matter if you sound like Chief Wiggum or like Moe or like Bruce or like your grandma. It doesn't matter what you sound like. It has to be you underneath it. And that time in that class is what made the physicality and the ability to take a run at what Peter Sellers was doing for me.

And he was like, idiot. Really great acting means you're willing to share yourself with people. It doesn't matter if you sound like Chief Wiggum or like Moe or like Bruce or like your grandma. It doesn't matter what you sound like. It has to be you underneath it. And that time in that class is what made the physicality and the ability to take a run at what Peter Sellers was doing for me.

Well, I did this piece recently for the New York Times about AI and are we replaceable? And part of the point I was making was you have to really act and physicalize, even just to make a vocal performance. You have to fully act it. For me, you know, I remember when I took that class with Roy. I was already Chief Wiggum.

Well, I did this piece recently for the New York Times about AI and are we replaceable? And part of the point I was making was you have to really act and physicalize, even just to make a vocal performance. You have to fully act it. For me, you know, I remember when I took that class with Roy. I was already Chief Wiggum.

Well, I did this piece recently for the New York Times about AI and are we replaceable? And part of the point I was making was you have to really act and physicalize, even just to make a vocal performance. You have to fully act it. For me, you know, I remember when I took that class with Roy. I was already Chief Wiggum.

But I started thinking about things like, well, how would I handle like being a beat cop, like for real, right? Like, is that how I would really approach it? What if I really were this bartender? And I actually used to bartend. I joked that if I didn't become motor bartender, I would have remained Hank the bartender, which is probably true. But I started just getting a little more personal.

But I started thinking about things like, well, how would I handle like being a beat cop, like for real, right? Like, is that how I would really approach it? What if I really were this bartender? And I actually used to bartend. I joked that if I didn't become motor bartender, I would have remained Hank the bartender, which is probably true. But I started just getting a little more personal.

But I started thinking about things like, well, how would I handle like being a beat cop, like for real, right? Like, is that how I would really approach it? What if I really were this bartender? And I actually used to bartend. I joked that if I didn't become motor bartender, I would have remained Hank the bartender, which is probably true. But I started just getting a little more personal.

And a lot of that was just having faith that... trust that if I showed people who I was, they would find it interesting at all, which I did not believe growing up. So that was... And I had to kind of go to... That acting teacher sent me to therapy because he would send... Have you heard of this guy Phil Stutz? Oh, sure.

And a lot of that was just having faith that... trust that if I showed people who I was, they would find it interesting at all, which I did not believe growing up. So that was... And I had to kind of go to... That acting teacher sent me to therapy because he would send... Have you heard of this guy Phil Stutz? Oh, sure.

And a lot of that was just having faith that... trust that if I showed people who I was, they would find it interesting at all, which I did not believe growing up. So that was... And I had to kind of go to... That acting teacher sent me to therapy because he would send... Have you heard of this guy Phil Stutz? Oh, sure.

there was a term of affection yeah kind of affection also because he got sick of my whining yeah he was he was hilarious he's in there like you whining like roy i was having this dual crisis i would freeze in my performances because i would um not trust that you know in acting class i mean I would not trust that what I was doing was interesting and Roy wouldn't let me do a voice or be funny.

there was a term of affection yeah kind of affection also because he got sick of my whining yeah he was he was hilarious he's in there like you whining like roy i was having this dual crisis i would freeze in my performances because i would um not trust that you know in acting class i mean I would not trust that what I was doing was interesting and Roy wouldn't let me do a voice or be funny.

there was a term of affection yeah kind of affection also because he got sick of my whining yeah he was he was hilarious he's in there like you whining like roy i was having this dual crisis i would freeze in my performances because i would um not trust that you know in acting class i mean I would not trust that what I was doing was interesting and Roy wouldn't let me do a voice or be funny.

So I'm like, I'm nowhere, I'm nothing. And Roy couldn't break it through. So he sent me to, he would send people to Stutz who needed deeper work under the hood than just an acting class could address. And I was also freezing in auditions. All of a sudden I would like literally freeze. I couldn't, I couldn't do it. So it's becoming a problem. So I would whine at Phil Stutz for like 15, 20 minutes.

So I'm like, I'm nowhere, I'm nothing. And Roy couldn't break it through. So he sent me to, he would send people to Stutz who needed deeper work under the hood than just an acting class could address. And I was also freezing in auditions. All of a sudden I would like literally freeze. I couldn't, I couldn't do it. So it's becoming a problem. So I would whine at Phil Stutz for like 15, 20 minutes.