Why Bret Hart Didn’t Sound Like Himself in “The Simpsons” Appearance

The Simpsons is one of the longest running television series of all time. As such, the show has had many celebrity guest appearances over the course of the twenty-eight seasons. Bret Hart is one of many who appeared.

CBR.com is reporting that Bret Hart’s lackluster appearance on “The Simpsons” many years ago is due to the crew not knowing how huge of a star he was.

In the 1997 episode of “Simpsons”, titled “Old Man and the Lisa,” Bret Hart appeared as himself, but with a Russian accent. Mr. Burns loses all his money in the episode and is forced to sell his home with Bret being the buyer.

According to Hart himself in a 2009 interview with Dave Hofer of the AV Club, Hart was to come on and play another character with the Russian accent, but after having seen the fan reception Hart had after recording his lines, the crew member in charge of the episode told him they would put Bret in as himself if they hadn’t started the design yet. Here is the excerpt:

Hofer: Why did your appearance on “The Simpsons” sound so, well, weird?

Hart: They approached me about doing a voice as a wrestler, but not Bret Hart. It was the Mad Russian or something. I said, “I don’t want to be the Mad Russian, I want to be Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart!” We went back and forth for a while and they eventually said, very politely, “This is the way it’s written, take it or leave it.” I agreed, and flew down to FOX Studios. They had blocked off this huge chunk of time for my three lines, and were saying things like, “We need you more mad,” “Okay, not quite that mad!” I did my lines about 100 times in two minutes! I went outside to wait for my limo that had gone to get gas, and I signed autographs and took pictures for 45 minutes. The guy that was in charge of my episode came up to me and said, “I had no idea you were this big of a star! If we haven’t already started the artwork, we’re going to draw you in as yourself.” That’s why the voice doesn’t really sound like me, because I thought I was playing a crazy Russian!

CBR.com also notes that the crew on “The Simpsons” have said in the past that Hart wouldn’t leave them alone about playing himself. They believe what Hart said in the interview and what producers of the show said are both correct, in a mixture.

It should also be noted that Bart Simpson was featured on the cover of a WWF Magazine which you can find here:

If any more information does surface about Bret Hart and his appearance on The Simpsons, Wrestling Rumors will be there to let you know all about it.

Bret Hart On The Simpsons

Editor’s Note:

I don’t mind the way Bret sounded in the episode, if I’m honest. Sure, I would’ve preferred hearing his actual voice, but I knew it was physically him performing the lines. If anything, my young brain the first time I saw it probably believed it was his ‘real voice’ and the one he used in wrestling was created specifically for his character.

What do you think of Bret’s appearance on The Simpsons? Did you even know he was featured? Sound off in the comments below and don’t forget to check out our Facebook page and Twitter account. Turn the notifications on to get updated when news does go live! You can also follow me over on Twitter at @SOSNH1995 if you are so inclined.