When you answer the phone and hear a grown woman shouting “What’s up?” in the voice of a 10-year-old boy, you can be sure he’s talking to Pamela Hayden. For some 35 years, Hayden brought to life several of Fox’s long-running animated series, but none with the same exuberant nerdiness as Milhouse Van Houten, Bart Simpson’s unlucky but kindhearted best friend.
On Wednesday, however, after playing Milhouse since before “The Simpsons” became its own series (and racking up other roles, including bully Jimbo Jones and Rod Flanders, Bart’s sweet, devoted neighbor), Hayden announced that she retired from voice acting. His final “Simpsons” appearances as Milhouse and Jimbo aired in November.
Hayden, 70, whose voice has appeared in several animated programs since the 1980s, said in a telephone interview that dubbing is not very different from acting on camera. For her, when you put yourself in the mindset of a voice character, “you ask yourself: what do I want? How much do I really want this? What happens if I don’t make it? And Milhouse needs to think hard about what happens if he doesn’t make it, because that’s almost always what happens to him.”
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With the same delicate compassion that characterized her performances, Hayden explained that she understands why Milhouse became the most enduring and well-known character of all the ones she played.
“Milhouse is someone who often goes through difficult times, but doesn’t take it personally,” he analyzed. “It doesn’t ruin his life. The next day, he wakes up still believing that things will get better, even when they don’t.”
Hayden talked about his history with “The Simpsons,” his post-retirement plans and the joy of playing Milhouse. Below are edited excerpts from the conversation.
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Dave Itzkoff: You’ve been involved with “The Simpsons” since, what, 1988?
Pamela Hayden: In fact, it was 1888. I’ll make a correction. I’m old, damn it! [Risos.] In the beginning, “The Simpsons” were interludes on “The Tracey Ullman Show”, between sketches, and the animation was much less sophisticated than it is today. I got a call from my voiceover agent about an animated TV commercial for Butterfinger. The only hint I got was that it would be a “Simpson” type character. You can do this in many ways. I created the voice, got the commercial, and it was really cute. Then I thought: it’s over. Then, when “The Simpsons” became a series, they asked me to audition.
DI: Did you feel uncomfortable having to audition for a role you had already created and played before?
PH: No, but I have to say it was a little stressful. No one died from it, but at the time my agents said they wanted me to meet other people involved in “The Simpsons.” I thought I already got the job, and that they just wanted me to meet the producers. I arrived for the second audition and there were about 10 people who had also been called for it. There was a woman who had already won an Oscar, and Marcia Wallace [que acabou sendo escalada como a professora de Bart, a Sra. Krabappel]who I watched when I was a kid on “The Bob Newhart Show.” I went back to my car in the parking lot, took a deep breath and said to myself, without saying it out loud, so I wouldn’t sound crazy and end up putting me in a straitjacket: you haven’t made it yet, but you haven’t lost your chance either. So let’s start from scratch. And everything went well.
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DI: Milhouse managed to do some very interesting things early on in the series. Despite being the nerdy sidekick, he had a girlfriend for a brief period in the third season.
PH: That was the best moment of Milhouse’s life. I think she ended up in a convent, and that’s how it goes for him. But it didn’t matter because he was always in love with Lisa. He will never win her over either. I don’t know, maybe someday I will.
DI: A few years later, a subplot came up where your parents separated and got divorced. Did this surprise you?
PH: It was a big scandal in Springfield, no doubt. Yes, I was surprised, but they got back together only to make each other miserable.
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DI: Many of your line readings of Milhouse transcended the show and became catchphrases. Did you think it would be immortalized by the moment Milhouse scolds Bart about his pet goldfish, which Bart insists his dog didn’t eat?
PH: There was no great moment of [imitando a voz de Milhouse] “Why do I have the aquarium?” “Why do I have the aquarium?” I had no idea that I would be associated with goldfish around the world. But there are certain expressions that I figured you would probably mention, like “Everything’s coming up Milhouse!” (“All working well for Millhouse!”).
DI: Yes, I was going to ask about that too.
PH: A couple once said to me, “Whenever something goes wrong in life, we look at each other and say, ‘Everything is working out well for Milhouse!’” I don’t know exactly what they meant by that, but it seemed be a source of inspiration for them.
DI: I promise I’ll ask about just one more line: when Milhouse meets his classmate from Shelbyville and, with tears in his eyes, says, “So this is what it feels like when doves cry.” do doves cry?”).
PH: People come up to me and recite lines, some of them much more obscure than this. And fans can remember the episodes much better than I can. Seriously, when we released “The Simpsons” DVD, they sent us to New York and organized a question and answer quiz about the series. I did very badly. I was terrible.
DI: What will you do now that you’ve retired from “The Simpsons”?
PH: I want to dedicate more time to my creative endeavors, which are filmmaking and writing. We made a documentary called “Jailhouse to Milhouse,” which isn’t exactly about “The Simpsons.” It has more to do with people than displaced people. I keep a special place in my heart for girls in vulnerable situations, and I always tell them that “If I can do it, you can do it too”, because I also went through very difficult years in my youth. I feel like Milhouse reflects this: you can’t be discouraged by every obstacle that comes your way. Tomorrow will be a better day.
DI: So why do we like to see him fall flat on his face?
PH: It looks a bit like the Three Stooges. Someone slips on a banana, then gets up and slips again. You know, it’s funny. You just hope the person didn’t break anything.
DI: Are you prepared for the day you turn on the TV and hear someone else playing Milhouse?
PH: Would it be a little strange? Probably, but what I hope is that someone isn’t just doing an imitation. Of course, one needs to capture the essence of Milhouse, but also bring one’s own personality, creativity, and artistic choices.
DI: In what ways do you think you and Milhouse connect? What do you think they share?
PH: Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a pit bull, who doesn’t give up easily. But when things go wrong, I shake myself off, get up and carry on. For me, the important thing in life is not to take things too seriously. This is one of the reasons I dyed my hair purple.
DI: You mean, like, currently?
PH: The tips, a few centimeters, are purple. Are you also going to do this so we can be twins?
DI: I’ll think about it. I will reflect on this very seriously.
PH: Why don’t I believe you? We were getting along so well, and now I think you’re kidding me.
