Futurama Star John DiMaggio on Bender Return, Contract Fight & More

Posted in: Hulu, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: bender, futurama, hulu, john dimaggio, preview, trailer

John DiMaggio discusses returning as Bender for Hulu’s new season of Futurama, reflects back on his contract negotiations, and more.

With only days to go until the return of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen‘s Futurama brings the first of 20 new episodes to Hulu, we’re getting a chance to check in with John DiMaggio, aka Bender, via an exclusive interview he did with EW. In the following highlights, DiMaggio reflects on the tense negotiations with the studio that very nearly led to his not returning (with the studio considering going with guest voices) before a deal was announced at the beginning of March. In addition, DiMaggio pushes back on those viewers who claim that the show has changed over the years, having a “completely different relationship” with Bender now, and more.

DiMaggio Doesn’t But Into the “The Show’s Changed!” Claims from Some Viewers: “Everybody’s always like, ‘It’s changed.’ It hasn’t changed! We’ve got the pedigree on our show. We got the smartest writers in the business. It doesn’t hurt when the head of the Writers’ Guild, or at least one of them, is one of your head writers. Mr. Patric Verrone, for crying out loud. It’s always good.”

DiMaggio on Having a “Completely Different Relationship” with Bender Now: “Bender’s that Bender in me. When I started this, I was really alone. Like Bender, pretty out of control. But now, Bender’s like my kid. I still love it. I still cherish it. He’s like a best friend. So, it’s a real gift to be able to do this and be better.”

DiMaggio Knows How Unique His “Bender” Voice Is…: “That’s always at the tip of my tongue. It’s always right there. It’s hard to replicate. I work with some of the best in the business, in the world, and they can’t do it. After I die, they’re gonna have to do a big autopsy for science. They’re gonna have to figure out how it worked.”

…Which Is One of the Reasons Why the Way That Negotiations Went Was “Heartbreaking” for DiMaggio: “It was heartbreaking for many reasons. Bittersweet, frustrating. People don’t know how long we had been [going] back and forth. People just assumed it was when it was announced until I said yes. That’s not the case.”

DiMaggio on Support He Received During Contract Stalemate: “A lot of my colleagues, a lot of the people that I’ve worked with in the past, a lot of the community backed me up. People were not coming in to read for it. It made it very difficult for our poor casting director. I’ve apologized to her, but it was tough. It’s one of those things where you learn how resilient you can be.”

DiMaggio’s Happy to Be Back, Takes Big-Picture Approach: “Like I’ve said before, it was a situation where it was better to be in the room eating Thanksgiving dinner as opposed to standing outside in the cold, wet rain across the street, looking in through the window. But I’m happy to be back on the show. I’m not knocking it… It’s just great to get to work with these people again, and I’m grateful for it. It’s always exciting to get back on this bike every time. It’s just like, these are new tires.”

With DiMaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman set to return for the first of 20 new episodes on July 24th (and dropping weekly after that), here’s a look back at the official trailer and overview for Hulu’s Futurama:

After a brief ten-year hiatus, Futurama has crawled triumphantly from the cryogenic tube, its full original cast and satirical spirit intact. The ten all-new episodes of season eleven have something for everyone. New viewers will be able to pick up the series from here, while long-time fans will recognize payoffs to decades-long mysteries – including developments in the epic love story of Fry and Leela, the mysterious contents of Nibbler’s litter box, the secret history of evil Robot Santa, and the whereabouts of Kif and Amy’s tadpoles. Meanwhile, there’s a whole new pandemic in town as the crew explores the future of vaccines, bitcoin, cancel culture, and streaming TV.

The animated series premiered in 1999 and quickly gained a faithful following and critical acclaim, including two primetime Emmys for Outstanding Animated Program. Despite its far-future setting, the show is renowned for its satiric commentary on life in the present. The series follows Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a New York City pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself in 1999 and gets defrosted in the year 3000. In this astonishing New New York, he befriends hard-drinking robot Bender (John DiMaggio) and falls in love with cyclops Leela (Katey Sagal). The trio finds work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth. Together with accountant Hermes Conrad, assistant Amy Wong, and alien lobster Dr. John Zoidberg, they embark on thrilling adventures that take them to every corner of the universe.

Created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, Hulu’s Futurama is executive produced by Groening, Cohen, Ken Keeler, and Claudia Katz.

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