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Missy From ‘Big Mouth’ Needed a New Voice
The biracial character will have a storyline that brings her identity to the forefront this season
The Netflix animated series Big Mouth is seeing some recasting spurred by the year’s national conversation about race. As Jourdain Searles writes in Vulture, Missy’s character is “Black and Jewish, but the question of her race rarely comes up. Last year, ahead of season four, the show’s writers began to develop a storyline that would bring Missy’s identity to the fore for the first time. This, of course, posed a problem, as Missy was being voiced by a white actress and comedian, Jenny Slate.”
In June, Slate announced she would vacate the role, saying, “Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people.” And now Missy’s voice will be provided by actress and comedian Ayo Edebiri. The difference, however meaningful, will be subtle. “Jenny and I have pretty similar speaking voices and inflections. I don’t know if that’s because we’re both anxious women from Massachusetts,” said Edebiri.
