Orlando Central - Issue #12 (February 2022)

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OFM_INTERVIEW_Yeardley_Smith_0222_DEPT 1 / 24 / 22 4 : 39 PM Page 1 BY DEBRA WALLACE interview “ LISA SIMPSON IS WHO I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP , ” SAYS YEARDLEY SMITH , THE VOICE BEHIND ONE OF TELEVISION’S MOST ICONIC CHARACTERS . Animated CONVERSATION Thinking back , eardley Smith knew early on that her distinctive voice — some might say could you have “ high pitched ” — could stand in her way as an actor of stage and screen . imagined The YAlthough she got this reminder all too often throughout her formative Q & A Simpsons running for more than years , she stayed her course . three decades ? “ Who cares what the naysayers think , ” says Smith , the French - born , Absolutely not . Nowadays you’re lucky if Emmy - winning actor best known as the voice of Lisa Simpson from you get a whole season to let your sitcom X the long - running animated show , The Simpsons . “ They don’t know O get its feet wet . Back in the day , when F f you in the way that you know yourself . Take every opportunity , o The Simpsons went to a half hour , in esy because you don’t know where it’s going to lead and how it’s t December 1989 , everybody said , our “ This will be a bomb , you can’t put going to connect with the next one . … If you had said to me at c ph animation on in prime time , it a the start of my acting career that my greatest success is going to ogr hasn’t been done since The t without comefrom voiceover work , I would have doubted it . But ho Flintstones . ” … All of the pre - p s question , Lisa Simpson is one of the greatest gifts in my life . ” on dictors were wrong , consid - ps In addition , Smith has become known for her comedic m ering that we’re in the midst of Si timing on TV’s Herman’s Headand Dharma & Greg , as e recording Season 33 . Th ; well as in films such as City Slickers and As Good as It urley What have you learned from Gets . She has also found richness in her true - crime H er Lisa Simpson ? t podcast SmallTown Dicks , a quirky YouTube cooking Pe I’ve learned a great deal from her y show called Oil & Water , and her new production b h resilience . I always joke that on The ap company , Paperclip LTD . r Simpsons , they give Lisa Simpson some - tog We spoke with the 57 - year - old actor about what she has o thing at the top of an episode and 22 ph learned from Lisa Simpson , her fascination with true crime h minutes later they’ve taken it away , mit whether it’s an achievement , an award and her best advice . S 44 ORLANDO FAMILY february 2022 ORLANDOFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM

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OFM_INTERVIEW_Yeardley_Smith_0222_DEPT 1 / 25 / 22 3 : 53 PM Page 2 or a friend . But that little girl just picks herself back up , pulls up her socks and gets on with it . And she does it with a smile . So , I’m lucky . I feel hopeful and happy that she’s a good , sweet , brilliant , shiny , multifaceted , funny , compli - cated little girl , and not some dark , morose , horrible serial killer . Why do we love The Simpsons ? It’s lightning in a bottle . Animation back in the day when I was growing up , like Tom & Jerry , Pepé Le Pew , Mighty Mouse and other stuff , was very visual , a lot of physical comedy , not a lot of heart . They didn’t take on any issues , per se . The Simpsons is written like they’re real - life , flesh - and - blood people , and they have never stopped writing from the heart . Talk about Lisa Simpson as a role model . I think even when Lisa Simpson gets her come - uppance , she realizes where she went wrong . … Lisa is also incredibly funny and takes no pris - oners . I love that she stands her ground , and even if she has a momentary crisis of confidence at some point in the episode , she will usually recover from that and say , “ You can’t treat me like that . ” I would say Lisa Simpson is who I want to be when I grow up . She’s all the best parts of a human being . Tell me about your podcast , Small Town Dicks . After I met Detective Dan at a Simpsons event , I started hearing stories from him and his twin brother , Detective Dave , about all the people they interviewed . It was this extraordinary deep dive into the granular details of what it means to be in law enforcement . So , when the podcast idea came about , it was obvious that Detectives Dan and Dave , and / or the detective who inves - tigated each of the cases we deliver , should be the one to tell the story . As one of the co - hosts , I would be the one who had the privilege to sit across the table from these detectives and ask questions . I’ve always really loved true crime . I always want to know that the good guys are out there , willing to right the wrongs . … I think it’s also why all the Marvel movies are so successful . People want to know that goodness will prevail . What advice do you have for someone who wants to follow in your footsteps ? A lot of people will tell you that you can’t do what you want . There will always be people who say no . … It’s hard to get a yes in this busi - ness . So , if I had listened to all of those people — family , friends , teachers , producers , and actors who said this wasn’t going to work out for me — think what I would have missed out on . So , my advice is to stay open and nimble . … You never have any idea where each opportunity is going to lead and how it’s going to connect you to the next one . ORLANDOFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM february 2022 ORLANDO FAMILY 45

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