Futurama voice actor John DiMaggio has claimed he "didn't get more money" for agreeing to return to the role of Bender for the show's upcoming revival.
According to SlashFilm, DiMaggio commented on BenderGate during a panel at Phoenix Fan Fusion, telling fans in attendance that he didn't get the pay raise he desired to return to his beloved role as the show's degenerate robot in Hulu's Futurama series but that he ultimately decided to end the contract standoff and join his co-stars for the project.
"People are like, 'I'm so glad you got more money!'" DiMaggio said, referencing the response he received after it was announced that he would be reprising his role as Bender for the 20-episode revival season. He then added, "I didn't get more money. But what I did get was a lot of respect, and a lot of head nods from people who are like, 'Yo bro, I see you and thank you.'"
When the revival series was first announced, DiMaggio was the only voice actor not signed to return and the producers promised to try their best to get DiMaggio onboard or recast the role. However, DiMaggio tried to negotiate with producers for a better contract by asking the studio to pay him and the rest of the voice cast more money for their services.
The saga resulted in a social media campaign called #BenderGate, with fans contending that the series wouldn't be the same without DiMaggio voicing Bender. And so, there was a collective sigh of relief in March when it was confirmed that he would be coming back, though many assumed that he had reached a satisfactory deal for him to return.
DiMaggio has now clarified that there wasn't any more money on the table but that he simply decided to move out of the stalemate situation by signing on for the series. He called it "quite rewarding" to be praised by colleagues for taking a public stance, adding, "Trying to get money out of Disney is like trying to get blood from a stone — you ain't gonna get it!"
"But listen, this was the best thing about that fight: I had Disney, Hulu, I was holding on to their collective testicles so hard that they couldn't, y'know, there was nowhere for them to go," DiMaggio concluded, reflecting on his recent dispute for higher pay. "But there was also nowhere for me to go, and who wants to hold on to those for that long?"
DiMaggio confirmed at Fan Fusion that the show was "planning on using guest stars, [and] they were going to replace Bender's voice each episode" before he agreed to join his other original cast members Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman for Hulu's Futurama revival.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
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According to SlashFilm, DiMaggio commented on BenderGate during a panel at Phoenix Fan Fusion, telling fans in attendance that he didn't get the pay raise he desired to return to his beloved role as the show's degenerate robot in Hulu's Futurama series but that he ultimately decided to end the contract standoff and join his co-stars for the project.
"People are like, 'I'm so glad you got more money!'" DiMaggio said, referencing the response he received after it was announced that he would be reprising his role as Bender for the 20-episode revival season. He then added, "I didn't get more money. But what I did get was a lot of respect, and a lot of head nods from people who are like, 'Yo bro, I see you and thank you.'"
When the revival series was first announced, DiMaggio was the only voice actor not signed to return and the producers promised to try their best to get DiMaggio onboard or recast the role. However, DiMaggio tried to negotiate with producers for a better contract by asking the studio to pay him and the rest of the voice cast more money for their services.
The saga resulted in a social media campaign called #BenderGate, with fans contending that the series wouldn't be the same without DiMaggio voicing Bender. And so, there was a collective sigh of relief in March when it was confirmed that he would be coming back, though many assumed that he had reached a satisfactory deal for him to return.
DiMaggio has now clarified that there wasn't any more money on the table but that he simply decided to move out of the stalemate situation by signing on for the series. He called it "quite rewarding" to be praised by colleagues for taking a public stance, adding, "Trying to get money out of Disney is like trying to get blood from a stone — you ain't gonna get it!"
"But listen, this was the best thing about that fight: I had Disney, Hulu, I was holding on to their collective testicles so hard that they couldn't, y'know, there was nowhere for them to go," DiMaggio concluded, reflecting on his recent dispute for higher pay. "But there was also nowhere for me to go, and who wants to hold on to those for that long?"
DiMaggio confirmed at Fan Fusion that the show was "planning on using guest stars, [and] they were going to replace Bender's voice each episode" before he agreed to join his other original cast members Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman for Hulu's Futurama revival.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
Continue reading...