With an acting career as extensive as Hank Azaria, insuring voice chords after a close call would make sense. Azaria told Conan O’Brien during a virtual interview that certain characters he voices for The Simpsons have become rather difficult, according to Hollywood Reporter. He said to O’Brien, his fellow Simpsons contributor, “I have to save Duffman for the end, and I actually dread it. It actually does hurt, but I am not complaining.”
Azaria just finished the fourth and final season of IFC’s Brockmire and has quite extensive experience in his career. Beginning his acting in 1987 as Philly McAllister in Morning Maggie, his storied career has developed into his appearance on Herman’s Head as Jay Nichols, If Not for You as Craig Schaeffer, and his Emmy Award-winning performance for the TV movie Tuesdays with Morrie. Eventually, he voiced a multitude of characters on Fox’s The Simpsons, such as Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, and other small roles. So, when he had a voice loss scare, he was quick to act.
“I was having a rough time in my life, and I got into a screaming match,” He told O’Brien. “I totally blew out my voice, and it didn’t come back for almost two weeks. I scared myself so bad that I actually got my vocal cords insured. Really.” He also understands the revenue lost if his voice is blown, “A lot of money would have gone bye-bye if I couldn’t make voices.”
Watch the interview which aired to youtube on May 6, below: