The Onion AV Club Interview with Billy West

Billy West comes from the old school of voiceover acting—he pre-dates the celebrity-voiceover focus that began dominating animated films in the 1990s. That trend has made it difficult for West and others like him to get work in big films, in spite of his lengthy history in the business. Although he worked elsewhere (on the Howard Stern show, for instance), West really found fame as the voices of Ren and Stimpy on The Ren & Stimpy Show. By the time it ended in 1996, West had become a sought-after voiceover actor, doing Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in the 1996 film Space Jam, and appearing on King Of The Hill, as well as a wide assortment of children's cartoons. In 1999, he became the voice of Philip Fry (plus Dr. Zoidberg, Professor Farnsworth, and several other characters) on Matt Groening's animated show Futurama, which toiled on Fox for four years before getting canceled in 2003. But like Family Guy, Futurama may not be completely dead. Recently, West talked with The A.V. Club about the show's future, the scourge of celebrity voiceovers, and his vocal immortality.

For me, Matt Groening's Futurama was a worthy successor to his classic creation, The Simpsons. There were even times that I found the former a lot funnier than the repetitive, groan-inducing Homer-centric show. Unfortunately, the producers at Fox didn't think so and canceled the show in 2003, just as it was building a solid fanbase. I found the show very inventive and witty, much like what The Simpsons was in the 90s. It wasn't really given a chance to shine.