“And I kept growing and growing and I’ve just gone full time on YouTube since then. Variety reports comedian and YouTube star Arif Zahir will be taking over the role of Cleveland Brown from Mike Henry. Everything that Mike’s done for the character — I think the most important thing is for people to make sure that he is the original. He is known for his work on the animated TV series Family Guy (1999–present), where he writes and produces episodes along with … He is active on his social media like Youtube. “We did a deep dive, and certainly decided right then that if we were to recast Cleveland, obviously, we would have to consider him,” Appel said. Arif Zahir used to make parody videos and did voice mimicry and impersonation of the Cleveland Brown character of the ‘Family guy’ and he actually landed himself that part. Henry, who … A post shared by Arif Zahir (@azerrz.4rif) on Sep 18, 2020 at 12:53pm PDT, Arif Zahir: 10 Facts on the New Cleveland Brown Voice Actor. Arif Zahir has been cast as the new voice of Cleveland Brown on Fox's Family Guy following Mike Henry stepping down from the role. The 54-year-old voice actor, who is … The decision is just the latest in an avalanche of White voice actors leaving roles that should be played by Black voice actors. Zahir began doing “Family Guy” voices in middle school to crack up his classmates. It was a flowchart with one box: Can we find the second most perfect Cleveland — and someone who could live up to Mike’s standards.”, Sulkin noted that in a year of change, the decision to bring in an actor of color to perform Cleveland “felt like a change that we all got behind. “Seth was always very specific that he said, we would never just cast a great impressionist who wasn’t also a really talented comic actor,” Appel said. Mike Henry will no longer voice Family Guy character Cleveland Brown, becoming the latest white actor to step away from playing a character of color on an animated series. Currently, Arif Zahir is cast as the new voice actor of Cleveland Brown in the ‘Family guy’. “My mama almost had a heart attack when I told her!”, When the “Family Guy” producers first emailed Zahir about auditioning to take over as the voice of Cleveland Brown, the young YouTube star thought it was a joke. “And we wouldn’t cast a great comic actor who couldn’t capture not just the voice, but some of the part of the role that Mike Henry had nurtured for almost 20 years.”. (Henry joined several white performers on animated series who have agreed to no longer voice characters of color. Appel and Sulkin said they weren’t aware of Zahir until they started looking for a new Cleveland, but quickly became enamored by his YouTube page and impersonations. As soon as physical table reads can once again happen, Zahir looks forward to meeting with Henry in person. FAMILY Guy producers have cast YouTuber Arif Zahir as the new voice of Cleveland Brown after the original voice actor quit. “But between now and then, it’s about recording and getting everything done. The decision comes nearly three months after Mike Henry, 54, announced his resignation in the wake of George Floyd's death, saying an actor of color should play the character. Zahir said he studied Cleveland Brown both as a voice impressionist but also as an actor, and that may have been the edge that landed him the part. Henry has also been supportive of the change, and is still very much a part of “Family Guy” as a regular cast member performing other voices. “And so that by definition precluded any rote impression, or repeating of what someone else who’s very talented may have done. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Voice actor Arif Zahir has landed the … Family Guy star Mike Henry (Cleveland Brown's voice actor) will no longer be playing the role. I studied it from the beginning of the ‘Cleveland Show’ to watching ‘Family Guy’ back in the late ’90s and seeing [Henry’s] performance change over the years. '” Appel said. Voice actor Mike Henry has announced that he is stepping down from his role as Cleveland Brown on Family Guy. “Once that episode finally airs, and seeing my name next to these legends that I’ve grown up with, it’s going to be another level of surrealism for me,” he said. Family Guy Casts YouTube Star as New Voice of Cleveland Brown. He really is Cleveland Brown and I’m just continuing the legacy.”, Meanwhile, it’s been a whirlwind since the Cleveland announcement for Zahir, who has now signed with CAA and has started dreaming big: “Whether it be film, stage, voice, video game acting, the sky’s the limit,” he said. I would just sit there for hours and just play it, pause, play it, pause.”, After several rounds of auditions, the producers gave Zahir unaired episodes to perform. The fact that we got a guy like Arif, who is fantastic, I think rewarded that decision.”. “I’m just a huge Seth MacFarlane fan, anything he does,” Zahir said. And hopefully, we can make them while keeping the show seamless. He launched a YouTube channel in the early 2010s, and started uploading his impressions — first, “Family Guy” characters like Cleveland, and then others like President Obama. I played back clips of the show, and matched the pitch as best as I could. Michael Robert Henry (born November 7, 1965) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, director, writer and producer. cleveland brown voice actor videos and latest news articles; GlobalNews.ca your source for the latest news on cleveland brown voice actor . I’m just ready to do it all.”, Said Appel: “Cinderella wouldn’t have worked if Cinderella weren’t likable. “I try to put my personality and be really animated in my voices,” he said. It’s hard not to root for him.”. His information is not available on Wikipedia. He has not disclosed any information about his siblings and parents in front of others. ), “I thought they were going to write him out and I was like, oh no,” Zahir said. Family Guy voice actor Mike Henry said Friday that he is stepping down from the role of Cleveland Brown on the Fox animated series. ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection It was “Family Guy” director Greg Colton who stumbled across Zahir’s YouTube videos and alerted the producers to his work. "The Simpsons" will "no longer have white actors voice non-white characters" and "Family Guy" will recast the role of Cleveland Brown, a Black character. “It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years,” he announced on Twitter Friday. “And I think we just found the four-leaf clover.”, Added Appel: “I think a lot of the fans would have been really sorry to see Cleveland leave Quahog. “But I was appreciative of that, if that was the choice they were going to make. After a controversy over the casting of White actors in non-White roles, Family Guy has announced the new voice of Cleveland Brown. (2018). His work is praised by the audience. He is well-known for his Eraser (2016), How It Should Have Ended (2005), and G.P.A. “We were talking about other possible solutions to a life without Cleveland, such as a new character, whatever it might be, while a parallel track continued of auditions.”, “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane set the bar high, however. “It doesn’t seem real,” said Zahir, who officially landed the gig last month, as “Family Guy” was renewed for its 19th and 20th seasons. If Mike didn’t want anyone else to do this character it’s completely understandable.”. Family Guy has found its new Cleveland Brown.Voice actor Arif Zahir, also known as Azerrz, who does impressions of Cleveland on YouTube, has been tapped to replace Mike Henry, Cleveland… What's going on? Zahir said he was convinced that “Family Guy” would retire the character after Mike Henry, who originated the role, stepped down in June. © Copyright 2020 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. “I can’t wait to be so busy and to the point where I only have time to sleep and work. Inside The Simpsons' biggest controversies from Michael Jackson to racism rows He is young and handsome who was born on April 15, 1994, in Berkeley, California. And we had a bunch of really talented actors audition for. “It wasn’t, ‘We need to do it no matter what, and we’ll get the best person available. It’s really lived-in more than it was. “These were scripts he could perform, for which he had zero reference,” Appel said. Zahir has already started attending virtual table reads for next season’s episodes, along side some of the “Family Guy” stars he has idolized for years as a fan: Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Patrick Warburton and others. At the present time, he has, Talking about his net worth, he has got 6.26 million subscribers on his Youtube Channel, besides this, he even has been voicing on the movies, he has been earning a lot, his. Family Guy’s new Cleveland voice actor revealed his version of the character and fans are thrilled about it. THE FAMILY Guy voice actor who plays Cleveland Brown and Consuela has stepped down after 20 years to make way for a minority actor. The 54-year-old voice actor announced in June he would be stepping down as the voice of the popular 'Family Guy' character - who once had his own spin-off in the form of the since-axed 'Cleveland Show' - as he no longer felt it was right for him to voice a Black character. Mike Henry, 54, announced his resignation after voicing the chara… But when attending classes limited his time making videos — and his YouTube audience dipped — Zahir dropped out to focus on the channel. Arif Zahir is even available on his Youtube. Family Guy actor Mike Henry, who has voiced the character of Cleveland Brown for two decades on the Fox animated series, said he is stepping down from the role. Arif Zahir is an amazing voice actor who has voiced in around ten movies and TV series in total. 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