You may not know it, but actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt credits The Simpsons for helping him achieve his lifelong dream. When the opportunity arose to voice a well-loved character in the animated comedy, Gordon-Levitt, who's mostly known for his work in drama films, didn't think it was possible. Yet, once he got into the universe, he connected with it and its glory.
In the February 12th episode, "The Past and the Furious," which is a Disney+ exclusive, Gordon-Levitt voiced a much younger Mr. Burns, who went as "Monty B." Monty B. is a polarization of the older Buns, as he loves jazz, his trombone, and surprisingly, plants. The power plant tycoon paired with Lisa Simpson and blasted to the 1920s to preserve the Mini Moose, but soon enough, the evil oozed out of Burns.
Gordon-Levitt recounts his time on The Simpsons, and has nothing but great things to say about it.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt becomes Mr. Burns in The Simpsons
While Harry Shearer provided the elderly and grave vocals of Burns in "The Past and the Furious," Gordon-Levitt gave him back his youth. It's a contrast of the good and evil aspects of the character and how Burns evolved non-canonically. To be fair, many episodes are retconning his rise to villainhood.
The Emmy-winning actor spoke with People about his The Simpsons role earlier this week. Gordon-Levitt additionally reflected his nervousness as he collaborated with the seasoned voice actors, who had been with the franchise since its debut in the 1980s, and whether he did a good job.
"I don't know if I could pick a character inThe Simpsons television universe that I would be more honored to play than Mr. Burns. This is one of those moments where we all, I think in our lives at times, think to ourselves, ‘Did I do it right? Have I made mistakes? Am I okay?’ And then you get a call like this from The Simpsons saying, ‘Hey, first of all, just come on The Simpsons.’ That's a dream come true.”
Yeardley Smith-the actress behind Lisa Simpson- was the one who spent the most time with Gordon-Levitt, as they recorded their lines in the studio. Nowadays, the cast don't come together as much as the like to, but when they do, it's magic in the making. When you get the right blending of people, the production becomes gold.
Gordon-Levitt shared his experience when working with Smith and becoming Burns and Lisa together.
“To be in a room with her, and we're both wearing her headphones up against the microphones — when you hear her do Lisa, you're just like, ‘Oh, my God, I am in The Simpsons. I am living a Simpsons episode right now.’ Something uncanny happens. Her voice is so distinct. [Being with Yeardley and the experience was] definitely a lifelong dream.”
As for voicing Burns and crafting his character into the light, Gordon-Levitt revealed that although the Springfield man is an "oligarch," he's "fascinating." Yet, unlike most oligarchs, Burns does have a heart at times.
"Mr. Burns, he's fascinating. It goes to show you that oligarchs have always been around."
Check out Gordon-Levitt and Shearer voice back-to-back in The Simpsons "The Past and the Furious," streaming now Disney+!
In another swing of good news, The Simpsons has been renewed by FOX for another four seasons! In the same renewal package, American Dad!, Bob's Burgers, and Family Guy were also granted four season renewals.