That's some serious Futurama drama.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Futurama is a big hit with some A-list celebrities out there.
00:03Known for its wacky storylines and scientific anomalies, the show clearly attracts a certain
00:08kind of viewer, and occasionally, they happen to be famous.
00:11Of course, when you're famous, people will bend over backwards for you and even write
00:14you into their show.
00:15So, who really wanted to time travel through space, and what demands did they have while
00:20doing so?
00:21In this list, we'll take a look at some of the guest appearances on the show and what
00:24was going on behind the scenes.
00:26Whether it be stars who wanted to appear on the show to boost their presidential campaign,
00:31or stars who wanted to make fun of themselves more, there have been some interesting requests
00:35and demands made while recording this hit animated series.
00:39And so, with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture here with 7 Unusual Demands
00:43Made By Guest Stars On Futurama.
00:467.
00:47Larry Bird Didn't Want To Be A Part Of The Show
00:50This cameo is so much more hilarious when you know the backstory.
00:53The episode follows the story of Leela trying to learn how to pitch for Blurnsball.
00:57While seeking out the help of Hank Aaron the 24th, who actually did agree to voice his
01:02character, the Scooby Doo spoof episode soon turns to Bird and his recorded message is
01:07repeatedly played during his cameo.
01:09One of the funnier entries on this list, this celeb barely spoke a word when recording for
01:13the series.
01:14His lines were, in fact, the same lines, just repeated.
01:17This is due to the fact that the star never actually agreed to be on the show, but rather
01:21called the producers and left a voice note, which was eventually used to voice the cartoon
01:25version of himself.
01:26In the voice note, the basketball player explains how his agent had sent him the script and
01:30he'd read through the lines and immediately decided he wanted to be no part of it.
01:34Groening obviously didn't catch that part of the message and featured the star in the
01:38episode.
01:396.
01:40George Takei Wanted To Be Funnier
01:42George Takei has featured in quite a few episodes of Futurama over the years, but his first
01:47episode is perhaps one of the more iconic occasions the star has appeared.
01:51This episode was one that went down extremely well with the Futurama superfans and supernerds
01:55around the world.
01:56The episode, where No Man Has Gone Before, starts off with Fry learning that Star Trek
02:00has been banned on his home planet, Earth, for a few hundred years.
02:05In an attempt to right this wrong, he tracks down the actors from the show, and thus the
02:08greatest sci-fi animation baby is born.
02:11George Takei featured alongside a number of the original Star Trek cast members, including
02:15William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, as well as Jonathan Frakes from The
02:19Next Generation.
02:20Takei was reportedly a great sport while filming, and made very few demands besides having a
02:25more humorous character.
02:26He hadn't made much of a social media presence for himself, but after the episode started
02:30airing and everyone realised the wicked sense of humour he had, it all changed.
02:34Who would say no to a star asking to have more jokes added in?
02:385.
02:39Ad Rock Wanted To Record Lines Via Telephone
02:42This episode is one of the first times the show had guest appearances from well-known
02:46celebrities.
02:47In true Futurama style, the members of the Beastie Boys show up as heads in jars and
02:51perform a concert.
02:52Backstage, Leela Fry and Bender meet the band.
02:55This brief tangent is interrupted by the Robot Devil as he challenges Bender to a music-off.
03:00The rest of the episode is consumed with Bender and his struggles as he grapples with his
03:04electricity addiction and takes on the Robot Devil, voiced by Dan Castellaneta.
03:08The Beastie Boys do not return during the episode, much to the dismay of the fans.
03:13One of the stranger requests from a guest on the animated series, Beastie Boys' Ad
03:16Rock, claims that they accepted his request to do all of the recordings over the phone.
03:21The episode in which this band feature has only two of the band members' real voices.
03:25Mike, Dee, and Ad Rock were the only two available to do the voices, and so MCA had to be impersonated
03:31by Rock.
03:32Some have questioned his confession, stating that the sound quality was too good to be
03:36a phone call.
03:37Who knows, maybe they accepted the request because two out of the three is better than
03:40only one.
03:414.
03:42Mark Hamill Demanded Not To Voice Bender
03:45Mark Hamill is one of the few guest stars who hasn't played themselves.
03:49Instead, this Star Wars actor featured as the rather bland Hanukkah Zombie during the
03:54episode Bender's Big Score.
03:56While some believe this was a waste of a cameo, Hamill was reportedly happy to play any part
04:00in the series.
04:01His demands for the show actually came later on, once the series had already been cancelled
04:06in 2013.
04:08When fans learned that the show would be renewed but without the help of the original voice
04:12of Bender, John DiMaggio, there was a major upset and public reaction from a number of
04:17celebs.
04:18Hamill tweeted out in support of the voice actor, requesting that he be returned to the
04:21show while reassuring fans that he would not be auditioning for the voice of fake Bender.
04:26Hamill is one of many to take a stand in support of the incredible voice actor, so hopefully
04:31Hulu will listen and up the payment so that everyone's favourite pissy robot can return
04:35to our screens, along with the rest of the much-loved team.
04:393.
04:40Stephen Hawking Demanded to Voice Himself
04:43This one made everyone very happy, including the star himself.
04:47To have such an icon appear on the show was a real highlight for the sci-fi enthusiast
04:52behind the scenes, and to have him request to do the recording himself was the cherry
04:56on top.
04:57Unlike when he recorded for Family Guy, Hawking was actually in the studio for the recording
05:01of his lines when he featured on Futurama and The Simpsons.
05:05Because his voice can be replicated on most computers, he wasn't actually needed for
05:10the recording, but he had made a close friend with Matt Groening and the two agreed he would
05:14record it himself.
05:16Hawking was apparently a fan of the show and was more than happy to have a little sci-fi
05:20fun with the team.
05:21He cameoed on the show twice in the episodes Anthology of Interest 1 and Reincarnation,
05:27in which he plays Dungeons and Dragons while trying to save the world and shoots freeze
05:31beams while trying to distract two professors from a fight.
05:35Hawking was definitely at the top of the list for guest stars that had to appear on Futurama,
05:39and his legacy will live on through the animation and comedy that everyone has come to know
05:43and love.
05:442.
05:45Al Gore Demanded To Be Made Fun Of
05:48Perhaps one of the sweetest scores Futurama has ever made in terms of guest stars, Al
05:53Gore voiced himself on the show, even while preparing to run in the elections.
05:57Whether this did more harm than good is uncertain, but he definitely came away with a new audience
06:02of devoted supporters.
06:04Al was a fan of the show, but his family connection is what really sealed the deal.
06:08His daughter, Kristen Gore, was a writer for Futurama across seasons 3 and 4.
06:12While preparing for the role as himself, Al was a great sport and actually requested for
06:16more jokes to be put in that poke fun at things he has said or done in the past.
06:21His line in the show, Invented the Environment, directly mocks how the politician likes to
06:26say he invented the internet.
06:28This move was most probably strictly political, as he wanted everyone to know he's one of
06:32the cool vice presidents who uses comedy to relate to potential supporters.
06:37Definitely one of the more standout guest appearances on the show, and it's amazing
06:40he returned so many times.
06:431.
06:44The Richard Nixon Library Demanded Promo Materials
06:48Despite debuting on TV screens across the world five years after the death of this former
06:53president, Futurama still managed to feature Richard Nixon on the show during the episode
06:58A Head in the Poles, where he uses Bender's body as his own while his head has been preserved
07:03in a jar.
07:04Although it wasn't his own voice, but rather the voice of Billy West, it still ruffled
07:09a few feathers at the Nixon family HQ.
07:11In the show, Nixon is played as himself, but with more of a nightmarish edge and his bold
07:16claims to be President of the Earth.
07:18With the villainous connotation surrounding this portrayal, the Richard Nixon Library
07:22got in contact with the show and requested that he no longer be involved, as they did
07:26not like what the show was doing for his reputation.
07:29A few years later, the Richard Nixon Library had done a full 180 and actually requested
07:34that the creators provide them with some materials so that they could be put on display during
07:38the Nixon in Popular Culture exhibition.
07:40A strange turnaround, but at least everyone's happy now, and the ex-president won't be
07:45rolling in his grave anymore.
07:47And that concludes our list.
07:48If you can think of anything that we missed, then do let us know in the comments below.
07:52And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification
07:56bell.
07:57Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there at WhatCulture, and I can be found across
08:00various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
08:03I've been Ellie with WhatCulture, I hope you have a magical day, and I'll see you
08:07real soon.