Why Is Julie Kavner Such A Cuntasaurus?

She's also the biggest asshole on a voice cast that includes Xenu-loving Nancy Cartwright and epic dickhead Harry Shearer.

While the rest of the cast are happy to sign autographs and do publicity for the show and its fans, Julie Kavner refuses. She's reclusive and aloof, and has always maintained that she never watches the show. She just does one or two voices, cashes the check, and goes back to waiting for Woody to call her again. Listen to her appearances on the DVD commentaries. She doesn't give a fuck about any of it.

I always wondered why Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria and others can do multiple characters. Yet Julie Kavner only voices Marge, her mom and her sisters and Yeardly Smith only voices Lisa. Why didn't they do more roles?

Is this thread just a cut & paste of a comment from somewhere else? I swear I've seen it before.

Isn’t she close to 80 now? I believe she and Joyce DeWitt’s ex-boyfriend are the only ones left from the Rhoda cast.

She's clearly ancient. Marge sounds like she had a stroke in the recent seasons.

If she is such a diva, they should replace her with Kate Jackson. Kate needs the income and doesn’t have much else going on, except for Fridays when she checks the DL for new replies.

For R2: Yeardley did an interview years ago in which she said she could not disguise her voice well enough to do others. She apparently worked with a voice coach, to no avail.

Marge is a very bland character. She just exists to be a foil to Bart, Homer and Lisa. She ended up being the worst case of Flanderization because she used to be just emotionally repressed who would occasionally have episodes of lashing out and rebelling against her homemaker role. Now she's just a boring wet blanket obsessed with rules who puts with Homer's nonsense as opposed to steering him in the right direction like she used to. If Julie Kavner is hands-off, that explains a lot on to why the writers devolved Marge's character. A lot of times, the actors are the ones who help develop the character. Compare it to Family Guy where while Lois and Meg got exaggerated, they still have plenty of spotlight episodes that can flesh them out.

Maybe it's just a job to her and she does it and goes home?

R4 I have google, and I just searched - she's 71

I remember the episode where Marge was super homophobic to her sister Selma who came out as a lesbian. I thought it was funny how Marge was fine with all the gay dudes getting married and being friends with her like Smithers. Yet was unaccepting of her sister. Pretty brilliant commentary on fraus and Karens who love gay men but wouldn't want their sisters or daughters to be lesbians.

She came into my shop about 10 years ago. She overheard me whisper to a coworker who she was and she promptly stood up and left.

She's always been quirky to an extent. But she seemed to get really reclusive and Garbo-esque after The Simpsons had been on for a few years.

When she was doing Rhoda, and the Tracey Ullman Show, she was more public and accessible.

I do have to give her props for giving interviews to promote Rhoda when it was coming out on DVD though, where she talked about how much she loved Valerie, Nancy and Harold Gould and how great they were to work with. She clearly didn't have to be bothered (she certainly didn't need the money). I don't think she's a bitch at all, but just someone who's just uncomfortable with a certain level of fame.

Love this Emmy win clip. The guy sitting next to her looks like he's trying to rip her head off her body.

[quote]I always wondered why Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria and others can do multiple characters. Yet Julie Kavner only voices Marge, her mom and her sisters

R2 Marge, her mom, and two sisters ARE multiple characters!

[quote]Maybe it's just a job to her and she does it and goes home?

Good for her.

R15 And they all sound alike. Marge's mother and Patty and Selma have the exact same voice which is the same as Marge's voice but even more deepened and gravelly to emphasize they are chain-smokers.

[quote]Why Is Julie Kavner Such A Cuntasaurus?

OP, she's not a 'cuntasaurus' AND she doesn't know you. What is your grudge?

I love the Simpsons but they all need to pack it in at this point. It's tired. They're tired. We're tired.

I say this as a 20+ year fan with collectibles.

I do prefer the earlier seasons. Because it was meant to be more subversive of the Reagan-era family sitcom setup in the same vein of Roseanne and Married... with Children. Characterization was strong and many episodes were touching. Today, it became exactly what it was trying to parody, a generic sitcom and Fox just has it on autopilot. It needs to let out of its misery.

I do think she has some sort of a personality disorder. A good friend worked on Rhoda and said she was loathed and at one cast party started pushing some people.

When Valerie was sick and begged her for a part on "the Simpsons" to get insurance, Julie was all like, "Make sure it's a tiny nothing so that bitch doesn't steal the show from me."

She’s a very good and successful character actress who wants to maintain a stable private life- the OP and a number of posters on this thread are dumb trolls- far too many on DL these days.

R22 I seriously doubt Valerie Harper had to go begging to keep her SAG insurance active. She was once married to Richard Schaal, an actor and senior leader in the union. He would've made some calls to get her work, and/or a waiver for insurance coverage.

R22 Having said that, it appears Valerie Harper has indeed joined the background cast of the show in recent years.

Don't blame me. I stopped watching after they did a "Sommersby" about Principal Skinner.

Valerie and Julie remained close after they finished Rhoda.

Here's Valerie supporting Julie at the premiere of Julie's only leading role movie "This Is My Life".

Love the photo at R26's post. I never have really watched or paid much attention to "The Simpsons," so I really just think of "Rhoda" and Julie's 'Brenda' character, and all the interactions and angst between her, Rhoda and the other animated regulars and characters on that show, especially in its couple of later seasons. The show just dripped of 1970s atmosphere and nostalgia.

R22, I do believe you are lying through your teeth.

The Simpsons voice actors basically lucked into the greatest gig ever. Who knew what the Simpsons would become when they were doing Simpsons shorts on the Tracey Ullman Show?

Kavner is a semi-recluse who lives in an isolated area on Long Island and records her lines over the phone. Then she gets a nice check for $300,000 per episode. A dream job.

I’ve been to recording sessions for The Simpsons. They don’t all always show up so there are vocal stand-ins for the people not there. The vocal stand-ins sound exactly like the normal actors. I don’t know how the regulars were able to negotiate the big money.

R19, I'm a huge fan of the 'golden age' Simpsons, and I agree, it needs to end. I think it should have ended with season 9. Apparently it's still on today because the Tapped Out game makes a lot of money.

Valerie Harper was always highly complimentary of her, stating that Kavner was one of the best scene partners she had in her career. Anne Meara also had good things to say from her time on 'Rhoda,' and Gaby Hoffmann has fond memories of playing her daughter in 'This is My Life.' James L. Brooks, Tracey Ullman, and Woody Allen would not have wanted to work with her again and again if she were some attitude-having diva.

In her rare interviews, she always comes across well to me -- shy, yes, but thoughtful and with a good sense of humor. I loved this segment she did with Joy Behar in the early '90s, in which she seems more relaxed than she usually does in interviews.

When was she last seen? I'm curious about that.

Marge sounds like she's been dying a slow death. I don't know if Julie Kavner is sick or smokes but it sounds like it's killing her to do the voice of Marge at this point.

Julie Kavner is her own chick. She's like a Garbo type lifestyle wise at this point but whenever she speaks people would probably figure out who she is. Odd quandary that. I can't fault her for living her own life on her own terms though.

[quote]When was she last seen? I'm curious about that.

In the last twenty years, she showed up for the premiere of The Simpsons movie and did the Actors Studio (leaving when they asked her to do the voice of Marge). She also did a play with Marlo Thomas on Broadway that had a limited run.

Julie was great in Awakenings. If she did nothing else, she deserves praise for that role.

[quote]Valerie Harper was always highly complimentary of her,

That is to Valerie's credit and has nothing to do with Julie

Richard Schaal died long before Valerie

Does her pussy stink?

[quote] She also did a play with Marlo Thomas on Broadway that had a limited run.

I don’t know about Julie but it’s been confirmed that Marlo is the Godzilla of all cunts who ever walked the earth.

[quote] and at one cast party started pushing some people.

Well I hope she pushed Ron Silver who became a big Bush supporter at the end of his life.

r19 They should have evolved the characters...

but 'cartoons' (even most tv shows) are afraid of taking "the for better or worse" route... vs attempts to keep them forever young.

But they really jumped the shark with the who killed mr. burns cliffhanger... anyone recall how big of a deal that was as it spilled into a massive campaign??

and the backlash after he survived...

Julie Kavner is very wealthy, she can do any damn thing she pleases, it's her call, and she's earned the right to be a cuntasaurus. Good for you, Julie. :-)

Team Julie as well, r42. What silly things to bash someone for.

r43

She never married God only knows what she does in her spare time.

She thinks she is too good to have to promote "the Simpsons." Not a team player.

She uses a picture of her from 1974 in her Wikipedia page. Go ahead try to change it. It will be changed back by her ASAP.

She never married but she's been with the same man since the 70s.

[quote]She thinks she is too good to have to promote "the Simpsons." Not a team player.

The Simpsons has been on for 32 years, r45. I'm sure she's considered a team player where it counts.

R45 Can you trace that IP address?

The woman is a near-recluse who rarely gets her photo taken. It's hard to find good photos of her since the Nora Ephron days.

Julie has been with David Davis a producer on Rhoda, MTM and other shows since 1975, so...she's pretty much as good as married...

Marge Simpson is a national treasure and the majority of credit goes to Julie.

Just saying, I worked with Julie Kavner on a small project back in 1999 and she was the sweetest, warmest and most generous actor one could hope for. I've never been a Simpsons fan so I have no idea if she was even doing the show back then.

Fear

Marge and Homer

She seems like an introvert from the anecdotes here. A lot of introverted people come across as rude or cold but it's they just internalize a lot. They aren't great at small talk and too much interaction drains them. Especially in the entertainment field, where you have intrusive fans or have to do nonstop promotion. Also she's old now, so clearly isn't going to have the energy to go to every convention. Given she never voiced any characters except the Marge and her family. She doesn't seem interested in voice acting in general.

She lucked out, because she's got a face for radio.

Julie Kavner was on David Letterman in the early '90s and he asked her about her unwillingness to perform her Marge voice on camera. She said she does not wish to destroy the illusion of the character by having the voice come from her mouth; he said "that's a load of crap," she laughed, and did the voice with her back to the camera. She does have a sense of humor about things, and if she does not wish to promote the show any more -- 33 years (!) after it began -- I do not blame her.

Also, if you want to get a sense of how a performer is perceived in the industry, look them up as subjects on the Television Academy's website. Many of the interviewees are old and cannot be bothered to mince words when it comes to their former co-workers -- the directors, writers, and actors from 'Rhoda' and 'Tracey Ullmann' have nothing but good things to say about Kavner.

I don't remember what show, but Kathy Najimy was asked to do Peggy Hill and she wouldn't. I wish she had because I can't picture Peggy Hill's voice coming out of Kathy Najimy.

(Younger) Julie Kavner almost sounds like Natasha Lyonne's character in Russian Doll

R58 I came here to comment the same thing. Louise Lasser has some similarities to this type of voice too.

r58, I actually thought her role on "rhoda" was a model for the Natasha character

[quote] She’s a very good and successful character actress who wants to maintain a stable private life- the OP and a number of posters on this thread are dumb trolls- far too many on DL these days.

Relax, I suspect there are no genuine Julie Kavner haters in this thread. This is just what the DL does.

I was at the Inside The Actors Studio shooting. It lasted 6 hours. I think Kavner left just to go to the bathroom. Everybody did all their voices and they answered the questions as themselves and as each character. That's why it lasted so long. I didn't watch the edited version that aired.

I ran into her a few years ago.

She was surprised to be recognized and really very lovely to me. It was right after the death of Valerie and she took my hand when she talked about doing Rhoda and seemed pleased to be recognized for that role.

I did not mention the Simpsons as I have never watched it. I got the Rhoda boxed set on DVD.

Total introvert and recluse. And rich AF. She lives on a secluded island with only 2500 full time residents.

Weird that there are people who have never watched the Simpsons, at least once or twice. The show has been on for over 30 years.

She reminds me of how Bea Arthur would behave during the filming of The Golden Girls in regards to The Simpsons.

I had Nancy Cartwright's autobiography (My Life as a Ten Year Old Boy) which was released over 20 years ago and she says that she, Dan, Julie and Yeardly are not close to each other in real life.

It wasn't due to disliking each other. I can't remember the actual reason she gave because it's been a while since I read it. But since that was over 20 years ago things may have changed between the four of them.

Julie Kavner also never does live script readings as Marge. She either walks off stage or just sits there silently while Tress MacNeille does Marge. Her impression of Marge is almost to identical to how Julie sounded in the 90's when she did the voice.

[quote]so...she's pretty much as good as married...

If she was as good as married she'd be married. Obviously she's covering up, probably a lesbian

[quote]She said she does not wish to destroy the illusion of the character by having the voice come from her mouth; he said "that's a load of crap," she laughed

He's right her Marge voice is 99% her real voice.

[quote]Julie Kavner also never does live script readings as Marge. She either walks off stage or just sits there silently

Exactly, a cuntasaurus

If Yeardley does her Lisa (which is also her real voice) then it is odd Julie can't do Marge. She doesn't need to make it sound exact if it harms her throat. A simple "Oh Homie" should not be that difficult.

Yeardley Smith looks and sounds a lot like Debra Jo Rupp. Are they related?

R66 That's probably because the actors record their sessions individually, often at different studios all over Los Angeles. They only see each other at major events and award shows.