The Simpsons will feature their first-ever deaf voice actor in an upcoming episode entitled The Sound Of Bleeding Gums.
John Autry was cast to play Monk, the deaf son of saxophonist Bleeding Gums Murphy, and for the first time in the show’s history, American Sign Language will be used.
Producer Al Jean shared a picture of the new character on Twitter and captioned the picture: “It’s very hard to do a premiere after 722 episodes. But I couldn’t be more excited about this one.’
A first for the show, The Simpsons will feature their first-ever deaf voice actor in an upcoming episode titled The Sound Of Bleeding Gums
In the episode, Lisa Simpson helps Monk in his search for a cochlear implant that can help improve speech understanding.
Autry, who is deaf, expressed he was thrilled to have been cast on the iconic TV show and described it as a historic moment.
The actor told ‘Variety’: “It’s so incredible. It is life-changing equality and inclusion.”
The actor also noted that his appearance on the show would likely help improve the image of the deaf and hard of hearing in the entertainment industry.
Speaking of which, Autry, who is deaf, expressed he was thrilled to have been cast on the iconic TV show and described it as a historic moment; he can be seen in 2014
Showing his enthusiasm: Producer Al Jean shared a picture of the new character on Twitter and captioned the picture: “It’s very hard to do a ‘premier’ after 722 episodes. But I couldn’t be more excited about this one’
“This can affect us all. It’s about hard of hearing and hearing characters coming together. It’s part of history,” he said.
The Sound of Bleeding Gums was in the works well before the release of the acclaimed feature film CODA, which focuses on members of a predominantly deaf family.
Author Loni Steele Sosthand acknowledged that there were some obvious similarities between the upcoming installment and the Sian Heder-directed comedy-drama film.
Loni said, “I was an early viewer of CODA and really admire the film. There are themes in it that are picked up on here a bit that stem from a sibling relationship.’
Note: Writer Loni Steele Sosthand acknowledged that there were some obvious similarities between the upcoming installment and the Sian Heder-directed comedy-drama film
The author also noted that the film was particularly effective with viewers because of its subject matter.
“CODA has the tension between music and deafness. I think it’s great because the deaf experience isn’t just one story, there are so many stories to tell,” she said.
Jean also pointed out that although the episode was being worked on before the film’s release, he was glad it had its debut within the same time frame.
Giving his thoughts: Jean also pointed out that although the episode was being worked on before the film’s release, he was glad that it debuted in the same time frame
“The Sound of Bleeding Gums was in development well before CODA took the stage and won the Oscar last month, but the timing is lucky,” he explained.
Despite this, the upcoming episode was largely inspired by Loni’s personal experiences.
She told the media: “I’m of mixed race; My father’s black and jazz was big in our house.’
Sosthand also expressed that several aspects of her early life were reflected in the episode’s script.
Throwback: Sosthand also expressed that several aspects of her early life were reflected in the episode’s script
“We grew up in the suburbs and my father was able to bring that aspect of our culture to life. But when I think of music I also think of my brother who was born deaf,” she said.
The author’s brother, Eli, as well as several other deaf cast members, will voice various characters in the episode.
The Sound of Bleeding Gums is currently scheduled to air next Sunday.
Coming Soon: The Sound of Bleeding Gums is currently scheduled to air next Sunday