8 Black Women to Bring to the Drawing Board of Voice Over: #BlackVoiceActing Recasts

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As Hollywood and many other corners of the world continue their racial reckoning, the world of animated voiceover will sound a little different as well.

This past week brought the resignation of both Jenny Slate as Big Mouth’s silly yet sensitive nerd Missy Foreman-Greenwald; and Kristen Bell as Central Park’s Molly Tillerman, a budding comic book artist whose crushes play out in vivid detail on the pages of her sketchbook. Both characters are written and drawn as biracial, a fact that likely contributed to the seeming permission to be voiced by white actresses. But in each instance, their original portrayers have stepped aside to give Black talent the opportunity to step in (for Central Park, the recasting would apply if the show is picked up for a second season).

Such a strategy isn’t by any means new in the voiceover world; Bojack Horseman reckoned publicly with their early decision to cast Alison Brie as a Vietnamese character, and King of the Hill’s Toby Huss has had to similarly wrestle with voicing Laotian Kahn Souphanousinphone for over a decade. And even in 2020, it’s still noteworthy to have a majority-minority voiceover cast, which we learned when Lisa Hanawalt’s now mercifully revived Tuca and Bertie debuted last year.

In any case, the decisions of Slate and Bell to step aside create an opportunity for two Black actors to not just approach the mic, but bring something new to their characters.

Quinta Brunson

Currently starring on HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, the considerable GIF collection developed from Brunson’s web acting proves she’s tailor-made for a role in animation. After creating extensively for Buzzfeed Video, Facebook Watch, and YouTube Red, she’s found a perfect niche on ABLSS. In addition to her role on that show, HBO Max has just given a pilot commitment to a show she’ll co-produce and star in about running a team of PR newbies tasked with averting diversity-based crises.

Molly or Missy: Brunson has actually already appeared on Big Mouth, in the season 3 capsule episode “Duke.” With that said, I think she could do wonderful things with Missy as a character. As each of the characters starts to move to an angstier and less innocent place, I think Brunson would be particularly good at portraying a Missy who’s grappling with the sweetness we’ve come to know and the sass that started to emerge starting with “Disclosure: The Musical.”

Millie Davis

The youngest pick on the list, Davis’ experience in kids’ TV and early forays into film could position her well to bring some genuine freshness to either of these shows. Likely known best for her role as Miss O on PBS’s Odd Squad, she’s moving into older fare gradually with recent roles in 2017’s Wonder and 2019’s Good Boys. And she does have some experience in voiceover, as one half of HBO’s titular monster babysitting duo Esme and Roy.

Molly or Missy: Davis, at 13, could easy fall in line with the age of either character. But she’s a better pick for Molly. Whereas Big Mouth’s Missy’s innocence is summoned from the memories of an earlier time in the lives of the writers, Central Park’s Molly’s feels more present. She could ground that character in a real sense of teenage energy, while handily holding her ground in scenes with prospective costars Titus Burgess and Leslie Odom, Jr.

Ayo Edebiri

A hilarious comic, onetime writer for BET’s The Rundown with Robin Thede and NBC’s Sunnyside and current host of Forever Dog’s Iconography podcast, this list just wouldn’t feel complete without Edebiri. Her energy feels tailor-made for voiceover, and this pair of opportunities feels ripe to bring her into the fold of that field.

Molly or Missy: Edebiri’s a Missy, no question. Between the energy she brings to her standup, the new levels of Nathan Fillion obsession that a show like Iconography would prepare her for well, and the prior lived experience that comes from her teaching degree, I’d love to hear her bring a different version of Missy to life.

Tymberlee Hill

After stints on Drunk History, Hotwives of Orlando/Las Vegas, Search Party, and the recently cancelled NBC show Perfect Harmony, Hill’s skills for improv and musical comedy make her a great pick to move into either of these roles. Besides, there’s a case to be made that narration on Drunk History counts as voiceover work, right? Right?

Molly or Missy: Although I’d love Hill for either, I think Molly just slightly edges out Missy here. Although both shows have their musical moments, only Central Park finds music essential to its premise. And after dusting off those vocal chords for Perfect Harmony, I’d love to see her stay warmed up and bring those pipes to Apple TV+.

Akilah Hughes

Hughes is currently using her voice daily on Crooked Media’s What a Day podcast, and flexed her voiceover muscles earlier this year on a different Loren Bouchard project, FOX’s Bob’s Burgers. Like Brunson, Hughes developed her comedic voice in the world of online video, and continues to show those skills off in Comedy Central’s ongoing series Making Fun with Akilah and Milana. Her path to her current multihyphenate career is detailed in her 2019 essay collection, Obviously: Stories from My Timeline.

Molly or Missy: Hughes could do great things with Missy. Should her character get fleshed out more, perhaps dive deeper into a hobby like Jazz Club or into her own brand of activism after last year’s dress code protest, I’d love to hear Hughes express the dedication and excitement that would come with a new pursuit.

Tawny Newsome

In truth, when I conceived this piece, Newsome was the first person I thought of. Her profile is rising with recurring roles on IFC’s Brockmire and Netflix’s Space Force, as well as a previous regular role on Seeso’s Bajillion Dollar Properties. She’s also part of the Earwolf podcast family, as the cohost of Yo, Is This Racist? And she fits the bill for prior experience in voiceover, with a recurring role on Cartoon Network’s Craig of the Creek and on the forthcoming Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Molly or Missy: Like Hill, I’d be overjoyed to see Newsome in either role. And like Brunson, she lent her voice to Big Mouth’s “Duke” last season. But because she sings, I want to enthusiastically put her forth for the role of Molly. The heavily musical show could use her voice, and I can already hear a reprise version of “Weirdos Make Great Superheroes” with her as the female lead.

Ego Nwodim

You likely know her as a featured player on Saturday Night Live, or from her many appearances on Comedy Bang! Bang! Additionally, she’s showed up on Hulu’s Shrill alongside her SNL coworker Aidy Bryant, and joined Newsome on Brockmire for a handful of episodes. But when it comes to her two biggest roles, there’s a long tradition of performers from both shows thriving in voiceover work. Why not Nwodim? She’s excellent with character work, and those skills would make her a perfect fit for either character’s overalls.

Molly or Missy: I want to see what Nwodim would do with Missy. I think the type of comedy she does aligns well with the sort of choices that make Missy work as a character. Further, she thrives as a part of an experienced ensemble, and as such would be right at home alongside Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jason Mantzoukas, and Jessi Klein.

Natasha Rothwell

While many have gotten to know Rothwell in her dual role as writer and cast member on HBO’s Insecure, she’s exceptional with character work (check out her episode of Netflix’s The Characters for proof). She’s also dabbled in voiceover work, making a brief appearance on Bojack Horseman and in a few episodes of Disney’s DuckTales reboot.

Molly or Missy: Rothwell could be a fun choice as Molly, The comedic choices they’ve made for that role thus far are a bit smaller, which she’s proven capable of in roles like the one she played in Love, Simon and Search Party. At the same time, if putting her in the role inspired them to go a bit bigger with Molly – especially as a co-conspirator with Titus Burgess – then I would love to see it!

Big Mouth’s first three seasons are available now on Netflix, while Central Park is halfway through its inaugural season run on Apple TV+.

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Amma Marfo

Amma Marfo is a writer, speaker, and podcaster based in Boston, MA. Her writing has appeared in Femsplain, The Good Men Project, Pacific Standard, and Talking Points Memo. Chances are good that as you're reading this, she's somewhere laughing.
Amma Marfo
Amma Marfo
Amma Marfo is a writer, speaker, and podcaster based in Boston, MA. Her writing has appeared in Femsplain, The Good Men Project, Pacific Standard, and Talking Points Memo. Chances are good that as you're reading this, she's somewhere laughing.