Emmy-winning actor Hank Azaria, best known for voicing multiple 'The Simpsons' characters, has joined the cast of writer-filmmaker Neil LaBute's drama-thriller 'Out of the Blue'.&nbsp;

 
Also starring Diane Kruger and Ray Nicholson, the film is a modern take on the classic themes of "passion, deceit, and violence", reports claim.

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'Out of the Blue' is its production stage with its shooting being currently underway in Rhode Island. The cast and crew of the thriller is close to wrap up, reports confirm.&nbsp;

 
"When Connor (Nicholson) meets enigmatic beauty Marilyn (Kruger), her seductive charm transforms his dull life into a thrilling fantasy world. He plunges headlong into the adulterous affair, the ex-con with a heart of gold seemingly destined for the raven-haired trophy wife. The only hitch in their idyllic new life together? Marilyn's trapped in a nightmare with an abusive husband and vulnerable stepdaughter," the synopsis of the movie reads.

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In the film, Azaria will reportedly be taking on the role of a strict probation officer who tries to keep Nicholson's character from committing further mistakes and sabotaging his chances of having a normal life.&nbsp;

 
"We've been fans of Hank's for years and are thoroughly impressed by his versatility and ability to tackle a wide variety of characters on big and small screens. He has been a terrific presence on set, and we can't wait for audiences to see what he, Diane, and Ray have brought to the table under Neil's superb direction," Quiver Distribution co-presidents Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman said in a joint statement.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-french-fashion-brand-saint-laurent-goes-fur-free-415582">French fashion brand Saint Laurent goes fur-free</a>

 
Quiver Distribution and Tara L Craig of The Squid Farm are jointly producing the film.

Emmy-winning actor Hank Azaria, best known for voicing multiple 'The Simpsons' characters, has joined the cast of writer-filmmaker Neil LaBute's drama-thriller 'Out of the Blue'.

Emmy-winning actor Hank Azaria, best known for voicing multiple 'The Simpsons' characters, has joined the cast of writer-filmmaker Neil LaBute's drama-thriller 'Out of the Blue'. Also starring Diane Kruger and Ray Nicholson, the film is a modern take on the classic themes of "passion, deceit, and violence", reports claim. Also read: At 86, Judi Dench decides against marrying her partner David Mills 'Out of the Blue' is its production stage with its shooting being currently underway in Rhode Island. The cast and crew of the thriller is close to wrap up, reports confirm. "When Connor (Nicholson) meets enigmatic beauty Marilyn (Kruger), her seductive charm transforms his dull life into a thrilling fantasy world. He plunges headlong into the adulterous affair, the ex-con with a heart of gold seemingly destined for the raven-haired trophy wife. The only hitch in their idyllic new life together? Marilyn's trapped in a nightmare with an abusive husband and vulnerable stepdaughter," the synopsis of the movie reads. Also read: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle reach NYC for Global Citizen Live event In the film, Azaria will reportedly be taking on the role of a strict probation officer who tries to keep Nicholson's character from committing further mistakes and sabotaging his chances of having a normal life. "We've been fans of Hank's for years and are thoroughly impressed by his versatility and ability to tackle a wide variety of characters on big and small screens. He has been a terrific presence on set, and we can't wait for audiences to see what he, Diane, and Ray have brought to the table under Neil's superb direction," Quiver Distribution co-presidents Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman said in a joint statement. Also read: French fashion brand Saint Laurent goes fur-free Quiver Distribution and Tara L Craig of The Squid Farm are jointly producing the film.

'The Simpsons' star Hank Azaria joins Neil LaBute's thriller movie 'Out of the Blue'

'The Simpson' voice actor Hank Azaria feels he owes an apology for participating in “structural racism,” via his longtime portrayal of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

On a podcast chat with&nbsp;Dax Shephard and Monica Padman, Azaria said that he wished he’d committed to exiting the Apu role many years before he actually did. “I’ve had a date with destiny with this thing for about 31 years,” he said. “Part of me feels like I need to go around to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize, and sometimes I do when it comes up.” 
 
While the Emmy winner continues to voice other parts on&nbsp;the Fox comedy, including Moe Szyslak, and gave voice to Apu from his first appearance on the show in 1990, he announced in February of last year that he would no longer be playing the role. The decision emerged as part of a broad cultural shift in animation, as the industry came to the belief that characters of colour should not be voiced by white actors, with other 'Simpsons'&nbsp;roles also being recast.

Azaria took a moment to apologise specifically to podcast host Padman. “I know you weren’t asking for that, but it’s important,” he said. “I apologise for my part in creating that and participating in that.”

Azaria also called for other animated series to make changes when it comes to representation amongst their voice casts. “If it’s an Indian character or a Latinx character or a Black character, please let’s have that person voice the character,” he said. “It’s more authentic, they’ll bring their experience to it, and let’s not take jobs away from people who don’t have enough.”

It was in 1988 that Azaria was asked if he could do an Indian accent, leading to his portrayal of Apu and the actor modelled his performance off of Peter Seller’s turn in 1968 comedy, The Party, which has also been criticised for its use of racial stereotypes, along with Sellers’ use of “brownface.” 
 
The actor first saw that movie at age 15. “When I saw that, there was no difference between how funny Peter Sellers is as a French guy [in The Pink Panther], or a German guy in Dr. Strangelove, or as Hrundi V. Bakshi in The Party. It’s just funny,” he recalled thinking. “I’m an aspiring voice guy, and I can do the accent, so there’s no difference to me either.

“What I’m not realising, of course,” he added, “is that I can feel that way as a white guy because I’m not living with the consequences of those things at all.”

At one point in his career, Azaria noted, he would have responded to this anger with anger of his own. However, thanks to his experiences with Alcoholic Anonymous, he knew that he needed “to shut up,” listen and learn, in the aftermath of criticism. “If I had not gotten sober, I promise you, it wouldn’t have taken much wine for me to be in my feelings one night, and fire off a Tweet that I felt justified in firing off,” he admitted. “Boy, was I glad I had a system in place, where I could look at this thing.”

From the actor’s perspective, Apu was a character created with good intentions. “We tried to do a funny, thoughtful character,” he said. “[But] just because there were good intentions doesn’t mean there weren’t real negative consequences that I am accountable for.”

&nbsp;

'The Simpson' voice actor Hank Azaria feels he owes an apology for participating in “structural racism,” via his longtime portrayal of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. On a podcast chat with Dax Shephard and Monica Padman, Azaria said that he wished he’d committed to exiting the Apu role many years before he actually did.

'The Simpson' voice actor Hank Azaria feels he owes an apology for participating in “structural racism,” via his longtime portrayal of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. On a podcast chat with Dax Shephard and Monica Padman, Azaria said that he wished he’d committed to exiting the Apu role many years before he actually did. “I’ve had a date with destiny with this thing for about 31 years,” he said. “Part of me feels like I need to go around to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize, and sometimes I do when it comes up.” While the Emmy winner continues to voice other parts on the Fox comedy, including Moe Szyslak, and gave voice to Apu from his first appearance on the show in 1990, he announced in February of last year that he would no longer be playing the role. The decision emerged as part of a broad cultural shift in animation, as the industry came to the belief that characters of colour should not be voiced by white actors, with other 'Simpsons' roles also being recast. Azaria took a moment to apologise specifically to podcast host Padman. “I know you weren’t asking for that, but it’s important,” he said. “I apologise for my part in creating that and participating in that.” Azaria also called for other animated series to make changes when it comes to representation amongst their voice casts. “If it’s an Indian character or a Latinx character or a Black character, please let’s have that person voice the character,” he said. “It’s more authentic, they’ll bring their experience to it, and let’s not take jobs away from people who don’t have enough.” It was in 1988 that Azaria was asked if he could do an Indian accent, leading to his portrayal of Apu and the actor modelled his performance off of Peter Seller’s turn in 1968 comedy, The Party, which has also been criticised for its use of racial stereotypes, along with Sellers’ use of “brownface.” The actor first saw that movie at age 15. “When I saw that, there was no difference between how funny Peter Sellers is as a French guy [in The Pink Panther], or a German guy in Dr. Strangelove, or as Hrundi V. Bakshi in The Party. It’s just funny,” he recalled thinking. “I’m an aspiring voice guy, and I can do the accent, so there’s no difference to me either. “What I’m not realising, of course,” he added, “is that I can feel that way as a white guy because I’m not living with the consequences of those things at all.” At one point in his career, Azaria noted, he would have responded to this anger with anger of his own. However, thanks to his experiences with Alcoholic Anonymous, he knew that he needed “to shut up,” listen and learn, in the aftermath of criticism. “If I had not gotten sober, I promise you, it wouldn’t have taken much wine for me to be in my feelings one night, and fire off a Tweet that I felt justified in firing off,” he admitted. “Boy, was I glad I had a system in place, where I could look at this thing.” From the actor’s perspective, Apu was a character created with good intentions. “We tried to do a funny, thoughtful character,” he said. “[But] just because there were good intentions doesn’t mean there weren’t real negative consequences that I am accountable for.”

Hank Azaria feels he owes an apology to every Indian for voicing Apu on 'The Simpsons'

The Simpsons' showrunner Al Jean rubbished reports of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon being written off from the show amid the much-heated debate over the character's stereotypical portrayal. 
 
Last week, producer and 'Castlevania'&nbsp;animator Adi Shankar told IndieWire that the show is planning to "drop the Apu character altogether". 
 
Shankar, who is not attached to 'The Simpsons', clarified that he received the news from two people who work for the show and a third source who works directly with creator Matt Groening. 
 
Jean discredited the news saying Shankar was "not a producer" on the show. 
 
"I wish him the very best but he does not speak for our show," he wrote on Twitter. 
 
The writer also went on to deny another report which claimed that the character "is being deported from Springfield". 
In his reply, Jean tweeted, "@NRO the story is untrue." 
 
One of the longest-running animated sitcoms on American TV, the show has been criticised for its stereotypical portrayal of the South Asian community which came to light after Hari Kondabolu called out the makers through his documentary, 'The Problem with Apu'. 
 
Following the controversy, 'The Simpsons'&nbsp;addressed the criticism in the episode 'No Good Read Goes Unpunished'&nbsp;but failed to pacify the viewers. The makers were further slammed on social media for its tone-deaf response. 
 
Earlier, Hank Azaria, the voice behind Apu, offered to step away from the role after the controversy surged. 
 
Creator Groening also said the debate around Apu's depiction had turned into noise and "no nuance" was left in the conversation. 
&nbsp;

The Simpsons' showrunner Al Jean rubbished reports of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon being written off from the show amid the much-heated debate over the character's stereotypical portrayal.

The Simpsons' showrunner Al Jean rubbished reports of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon being written off from the show amid the much-heated debate over the character's stereotypical portrayal. Last week, producer and 'Castlevania' animator Adi Shankar told IndieWire that the show is planning to "drop the Apu character altogether". Shankar, who is not attached to 'The Simpsons', clarified that he received the news from two people who work for the show and a third source who works directly with creator Matt Groening. Jean discredited the news saying Shankar was "not a producer" on the show. "I wish him the very best but he does not speak for our show," he wrote on Twitter. The writer also went on to deny another report which claimed that the character "is being deported from Springfield". In his reply, Jean tweeted, "@NRO the story is untrue." One of the longest-running animated sitcoms on American TV, the show has been criticised for its stereotypical portrayal of the South Asian community which came to light after Hari Kondabolu called out the makers through his documentary, 'The Problem with Apu'. Following the controversy, 'The Simpsons' addressed the criticism in the episode 'No Good Read Goes Unpunished' but failed to pacify the viewers. The makers were further slammed on social media for its tone-deaf response. Earlier, Hank Azaria, the voice behind Apu, offered to step away from the role after the controversy surged. Creator Groening also said the debate around Apu's depiction had turned into noise and "no nuance" was left in the conversation.

'The Simpsons' showrunner Al Jean  brushes off reports of Apu's exit

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'The Simpsons' star Hank Azaria joins Neil LaBute's thriller movie 'Out of the Blue'

Hank Azaria feels he owes an apology to every Indian for voicing Apu on 'The Simpsons'

'The Simpsons' showrunner Al Jean brushes off reports of Apu's exit