In a recent episode of “The Wrestling Classic” podcast, the legendary Bret Hart spoke fondly of his guest spot on the iconic animated show “The Simpsons”. For Hart, it was an honour to be invited to the show, an admiration he had shared long before his time on the series.
In 1997, Hart made a guest appearance on an episode named “The Old Man and Lisa”. Hart’s original role had not been to portray himself but a character called the Mad Viking. Hence, that character’s voice was what he produced for the role and not his own.
However, Hart recalled, “I was a big fan, so it was a significant privilege for me. I initially wanted to play Bret Hart on the show but was told it was just a role for any wrestler. Hence, my character was termed the Mad Viking. Thus, my voiceover doesn’t quite sound like me as I was attempting to emulate someone else.”
Interestingly, once his voiceover session concluded, a funny thing happened. Hart was found in the Fox Studios parking lot, signing autographs for a long queue of fans. Upon witnessing this, the producer was taken aback by Hart’s fame and requested a drawing redo to feature Hart as himself.
Hart mused, “When the producer saw me signing autographs for about 300 fans in line, he was surprised and said, ‘I didn’t realize you were so famous. We’re gonna have you animated as yourself.’ It was in that moment that I realized that it pays off to be kind and sign autographs.”
In another episode of the “WFAN” podcast, former WWE star Kurt Angle also shared his experience. Angle recollected his debut as a villainous character, also known as a heel, in the WWE. Initially, Angle was skeptical about his heel character’s success, but he embraced the role and flourished. Following is a snippet of some key moments from the podcast: