From Mega-Deals to Iconic Voices: The Tale of Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly Attempted to Prevent Sam Simon from Collaborating on the Creation of 'The Simpsons'
In a candid chat on the PokerNews Life Outside Poker podcast, actress and high-stakes poker player Jennifer Tilly opened up about her marriage to The Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon and how she nearly stopped him from crafting the groundbreaking show.
Tilly, best known for her roles in the Chucky franchise and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, shared her initial skepticism about Simon pursuing The Simpsons, as he had been offered a multimillion-dollar deal at Hollywood Pictures at the time. The couple was married from 1984 to 1991, around the creation of The Simpsons in the late 1980s.
"I remember us trying to keep Sam from doing it because he had been offered his own deal," Tilly confessed to PokerNews. "And I said, 'Sam, don't you want to be your own person and do your own shows?'"
The Refusal of an Iconic Role
Tilly and Simon's union occasionally clashed with the development of The Simpsons. One such instance involved her audition for the iconic character of Marge Simpson during the show's early stages.
"Little-known factoid: I came very close to playing the mom on that show," Tilly revealed, explaining that Julie Kavner, the voice of Marge, didn't want to relocate from New York to Los Angeles for filming. "Sam had an idea that everybody should be recording at the same time, like a radio play."
As the recording time drew closer, Simon offered Tilly the part. However, the creators eventually made a special deal with Kavner to record from her home studio, leaving Tilly on the sidelines.
A Near Miss on "Family Guy"
Tilly also shared her regret over nearly landing the main role of Lois Griffin on Family Guy. Instead, she voiced the character Bonnie Swanson.
"I wish I got Lois. The regular cast members make so much money. Last I heard, and this was about ten years ago, they were making $500,000 an episode. And when you're the guest, you basically make scale. And I've been the guest now for like, years."
Though Tilly missed the opportunity to add two major cartoon series to her acting resume, she has had a successful career with roles in The Bride of Chucky series and numerous other productions.
Connor Richards, an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews, conducted the interview with Tilly. Richards has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.
- Jennifer Tilly, while discussing her career, revealed that she came close to voicing the iconic character of Marge Simpson on the popular animated series, but Julie Kavner was ultimately chosen for the role.
- In a surprising turn of events, Tilly also shared her regret over nearly securing the main role of Lois Griffin on the hit show Family Guy, settling instead for the character Bonnie Swanson, while the regular cast members reportedly earn half a million dollars per episode.
