Nancy Cartwright's Voice For One Beloved Simpsons Character Was Made Up On The Spot

Most fans of "The Simpsons" are already aware that a lot of its characters are voiced by the same person. Dan Castellaneta, for instance, doesn't just voice Homer; he also voices Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Sideshow Mel, and even Santa's Little Helper. Harry Shearer, meanwhile, does the voice for Ned Flanders, Lenny, Principal Skinner, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Kent Brockman, Otto, Reverend Lovejoy, and so on. 

When it comes to the kid characters who aren't Lisa (voiced by Yeardley Smith), the show usually relies on Nancy Cartwright. In addition to her most famous role, Bartholomew "Bart" Simpson, Cartwright voices Todd Flanders, Ralph Wiggum, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Database, and even Maggie Simpson. She also voices the school bully, Nelson Muntz, although she wasn't the original choice for the role. In her 2001 memoir, "My Life as a Boy," Cartwright wrote about how voice actress Dana Hill was first chosen for the role of Nelson, but scheduling issues got in the way. 

"The producers were still putting together this ensemble of [actors] and, come Monday, at the recording, [Hill] was nowhere to be found and the part was assigned to me," Cartwright explained. "I didn't have time to ask why and I still don't have a clue ... I asked myself, 'What does a bully sound like?' Well ... what you hear is what you get."

Nelson's first appearance was in season 1's "Bart the General," a very kid-friendly outing that feels like an episode of "Recess." This episode introduces Nelson at his most intimidating; when he beats up Bart, it's barely played for laughs, as Bart is sent home badly bruised and reduced to tears. It's also clear that Cartwright hadn't yet settled on Nelson's trademark laugh; his laugh in this episode goes "Haw, haw, haw," not "Ha-haw!"

Cartwright wrote a bit more about her first time voicing Nelson: "When I first uttered, 'I'll get you after school, man!' I let out a sigh of relief when I got through the line and a double-sigh when it got a laugh."

The writers seemed to know she was onto something; Nelson would quickly go on to be a fan favorite, whereas some of Bart's other classmates (mainly, Richard and Lewis) would soon be forgotten, forever relegated to background status. The writers seemed to understand that Nelson, like the three other bullies he tends to hang around with, provides a great source of constant conflict with Bart. In those first few seasons especially (back when Bart was arguably the show's main character) Nelson and the other bullies enjoyed a lot of the show's attention. 

But whereas Jimbo, Kearney, and Dolph have maintained their roles as stereotypical bullies, Nelson has been fleshed out into someone far more interesting and three-dimensional. By the time we got to season 6's "Lemon of Troy" (AKA one of the show's best episodes) Nelson was closer to Bart's friend than his foe. He'd still bully him from time to time, of course, but by this point, Nelson was far more interested in beating up someone like Milhouse or Martin, not the notorious prankster El Barto.

As the seasons continued, "The Simpsons" kept softening Nelson up. Lisa develops a crush on him in season 8, and Marge becomes a much-needed mother figure to him in season 14. There's even an episode in season 18 ("The Haw Hawed Couple") where Nelson and Bart become best friends. Their BFF status doesn't last, but those few weeks they had together seem to be treasured memories for both of them. As Nelson says to Bart at the very end, as he catches him hugging the vest Nelson gifted him, "Ha-haw! I touched your heart."

"[Nelson] has evolved the most out of all the characters I do," Nancy Cartwright would say in a 2012 interview. "There's a soft spot in him that the writers have found. He's got this special attraction to Marge, and he sings these songs, and he's got a crush on Lisa. There's something about this poor kid — his mother works at Hooters, his dad went out to buy cigarettes and never came back. I wouldn't want him to come over for dinner, but I really love doing his voice."

My personal favorite sympathetic Nelson moment comes in season 19's "Any Given Sundance," where Lisa goes to the Sundance Film Festival and finds herself watching a documentary about Nelson's life. We see the poor kid struggling through poverty and a negligent mother, watching longingly at the other Springfield kids who live in stable family homes. "I like to cry at the ocean because only there do my tears seem small," Nelson says, his voice wavering.

But what might be most impressive about Nelson is that the show hasn't simply humanized him through tragedy. They've also allowed him to be a smart detective in season 19's "Dial 'N' For Nerder," and they gave him a lucrative test-cheating business in season 10's "Lisa Gets an A." They've also established that Nelson's got a strong moral code to his bullying, as he's often seen beating up Bart or Milhouse for oddly noble reasons. In "The Simpsons Movie," he beats up Milhouse for "selling out [his] beliefs" on the problem of global warming. 

For a show that's otherwise experienced a clear decline from its golden era (which is typically agreed to be the first 8 or 9 seasons), Nelson's unique in that he might've actually gotten more interesting (and even funnier) in the show's "bad" years. Nelson's such a beloved character now that when I rewatch classic era episodes, I don't laugh along when Nelson gets his comeuppance. I for one do not care for the Nelson segment in season 7's "22 Short Films From Springfield," because I know the Nelson of season 19 does not deserve such ridicule. Nelson may still technically be a school bully, but modern "Simpsons" fans know that all he really needs is a hug.