Futurama's Zapp Brannigan Was Meant To Be Played By A Simpsons Voice Acting Legend
On several occasions, including during a 2020 video interview with Vanity Fair, prolific voice actor Billy West has explained his inspiration for the role of Zapp Brannigan, the sexist, egomaniacal, blowhard starship captain on "Futurama." He noted that Zapp is what would happen if actor William Shatner ran the U.S.S. Enterprise and not Captain Kirk. Shatner, West noted, was an odd man with a large ego ... just like Zapp Brannigan. Zapp gave West a chance to employ some juicy vocal histrionics.
West plays multiple roles on "Futurama," including the feckless delivery boy Philip J. Fry, the elderly coot Professor Farnsworth, the impoverished crustacean Dr. Zoidberg, and dozens of other smaller, incidental roles. West is one of the titans of his craft, and entire scenes can elapse with West having conversations with himself. Fry, West said, was modeled on his own voice at age 25, while Dr. Zoidberg was based partially on noted master of ceremonies George Jessell.
As it so happens, West almost didn't play Zapp Brannigan. Back in early 1998, when actors were first auditioning to appear on "Futurama," creators/showrunners Matt Groening and David X. Cohen had found their man: SNL alum and longtime "Simpsons" veteran Phil Hartman. On "The Simpsons," Hartman played the pathetic shyster lawyer Lionel Hutz as well as the barely famous D-grade actor Troy McClure (whom you might remember from "Troy and Company's Summertime Smile Factory"). Groening and Cohen explained this on a commentary track on the "Futurama" DVDs, specifically for the 1999 episode "Love's Labours Lost In Space." Sadly, because of Hartman's tragic death, West stepped into the role.
Phil Hartman
Groening said plainly:
"The part of Zapp Brannigan was originally meant for Phil Hartman, and we knew how great he was ... We said, 'You don't have to come in and audition,' but he said no, he wanted to. He came in and of course he nailed the part and he was ready to go. And then, you know, was killed just a couple weeks later. And it was incredibly sad to see this guy who, when he came in, was so full of life, so much fun, and I don't think I've ever seen an actor enjoy himself as much as Phil Hartman did. Not only his own work, but obviously the people who he was playing with."
Hartman was killed by gunshot in May of 1998, shot by his wife Brynn who then also took her own life. Hartman's death caused an outpouring of goodwill for Hartman, even more intense than he experienced during his life; he was openly acclaimed and widely beloved. His death was a shocking tragedy.
Cohen noted that West, when taking over the role, did the most respectful thing he could and added his own spin to the character. To merely do an impersonation of Hartman would have been somewhat ghoulish, given that he had just died. Cohen said:
"I should add regarding Billy West, who ended up doing the part, he came in to audition also, and he does it the way he did it when he came in to audition. He never was doing an impression of Phil Hartman, we let him do his take on it once Phil wasn't available, obviously."
Although West modeled Zapp Brannigan on Shatner, one can almost hear what the character would have sounded like in Hartman's capable hands. R.I.P.