When veteran voiceover actor John DiMaggio refused to sign onto new episodes of Futurama for Hulu earlier this year, he mentioned it was a matter of money and respect.
When the alter ego of the show’s hard-drinking robot Bender agreed in March to come back, he got lots of the latter, but none of the former.
In a new interview with SlashFilm, DiMaggio said, “People are like, ‘I’m so glad you got more money!’ 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.'”
The actor, who is also a veteran of Adventure Time, likened his standoff to “David vs. Goliath,” with the latter being Disney, ABC News’ parent company and a controlling partner of the streaming service.
“… trying to get money out of Disney is like trying to get blood from a stone — you ain’t gonna get it!” the actor jabbed.
That said, he called his showdown ultimately rewarding. He said weighing his decision to rejoin his castmates, including Katey Segal, Phil LaMarr and Billy West, was like being “in the house having a nice Thanksgiving dinner, or … standing across the street in the freezing rain watching everybody eat stuffing.”
DiMaggio’s brinksmanship at one point had Hulu reportedly searching for a soundalike for the beloved character, which apparently didn’t sit well with show creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen.
New Futurama episodes are expected to hit Hulu in 2023.