The actor Václav Zavřel, known from many film and theatre roles, has had a rich career. However, he has most notably made his mark on audiences as the Czech voice of Homer Simpson. Even now that he's retired, working on this popular series keeps him busy.
He's not looking for a return to his acting beginnings
Zavřel admits that he doesn't watch his older films or shows much. For example, he wouldn't watch his favourite film Girl on a Broom, which he starred in, today. "I've seen it so many times, I just couldn't stand two hours of TV." He has a similar with other roles - in retrospect, he rarely watches them, and that's more for the sake of analysing his performance.
The comic roles he often portrays, however, don't amuse him much in retrospect. "I mostly remember what I did there, so I don't have much fun with it," he admits.
Retirement? With homer still in action
Even though Václav Zavřel is officially retired, he hasn't completely given up work. After ending his engagement in theatre, he has guested in several performances - on the stage of the Na Jezerce Theatre and in the Karlín Musical Theatre. But in addition, he returns every year to dub The Simpsons.
"Homer is really busy," Zavřel says with exaggeration. Every year he has to record the dubbing for a new series, which numbers more than 20 episodes. The dubbing process is intense - he usually manages three to four episodes in four hours in the studio. "We get the texts on the spot, so I read them, dub them, and I'm glad to get it done."
The Homer connection
Although viewers often associate his voice with Homer Simpson, Zavřel takes the role more workaday. "I try to mimic as closely as possible the original that I hear in my ears. Then I translate it into English."
When asked if he has anything in common with Homer, he replies with a smile, "After all these years, it's hard to say what specifically. But I think we're similar in all sorts of ways."
Although Vaclav Zavřel is now devoting more of his time to retirement, his voice will continue to haunt generations of viewers who watch The Simpsons. He treats his work in dubbing as a routine, part of his long acting career.
Source: BleskCZ and Simpsons Fan Site about Simpsons
