He won’t lose his job - he voices multiple characters. He’s been uncomfortable with the Apu character for over a decade.
I don’t know. Apu’s voice is a stereotype, although one that is common with first generation South Asian immigrants. It’s difficult to see how to get around it other than to not have first generation South Asian immigrant characters.
They don’t lose the accent entirely but they still improve! Especially if they have to speak it all the time every day, like a convenience store clerk would. And Apu is smart, he has a PhD I think. Plus he immigrated to go to grad school, presumably around his mid to late twenties. That gives you plenty of time to get better at a language.
This has nothing to do with intelligence. The part of the brain that handles language loses plasticity in adulthood. Some people with strong talent for languages can get rid of their accent in English, but most can’t.
All the actors are born in Canada and sound just like every other Canadian, but play up these brutal, hard to understand and very comedic Asian accents.
Watching all these different ethnic groups try to communicate with each other in broken English is veeeeerrry comical.
It’s not about getting rid of the accent, just improving it. It’s not at all unrealistic that someone who’s been in an English-speaking country since their twenties would get a bit better at English over all those years.
It’s also not unrealistic for them to keep that same strong accent throughout their lives. And why does less of an Indian accent equate to “better” English? They’ve been speaking perfectly fluent English since childhood.
It doesn’t really matter in the end, does it? They’ve gotten rid of Apu. It’s over. I’m just saying that the South Asian people I know who weren’t happy with him were primarily bothered by the voice acting.
I like Apu a lot, myself, but I can’t know how it feels to be Indian and see him.
Asian/Canadian
Lived in Canada for 20+ years
Still has an Asian accent
Works at a 7/11
Character has trouble understand the culture even though he’s lived in the country for years.
Yikes! When will this Canadian government funded/racist/culturally insensitive TV show be pulled off the air. This is a horrible stereotype. After living in Canada for so long the character should surely speak without an accent.