‘The Simpsons’ writers made Lisa a vegetarian to get Paul McCartney to do a cameo

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‘The Simpsons’ writers made Lisa a vegetarian to get Paul McCartney to do a cameo
BY JESSICA SCHLADEBECK
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, August 18, 2016


Paul McCartney and his then-wife Linda had one caveat before the agreed to appear on "The Simpsons" (FOX)

Someone pass the salad!

In order to get Sir Paul McCartney to voice his yellow look-alike on “The Simpson’s” the writers had to agree to turn Lisa into a vegetarian and promise she would never eat meat again, the Huffington Post reported.

McCartney himself has been a vegetarian for more than 30 years.

Apu, voiced by Hank Azaria, joined the Simpson-ized Paul and his then-wife Linda in the season seven episode in which the trio convinces the precocious Simpson to ditch meat for good.


Paul McCartney said he would only do the show if they promised Lisa would never eat meat again. (MICHAEL ZORN/MICHAEL ZORN/INVISION/AP)

“I think it was really cool that he stuck that in,” Azaria told the Huffington Post. “I can tell you, over the years, they were tempted a bunch of times to have Lisa break her vegetarian vows.”

The episode, appropriately titled “Lisa the Vegetarian,” aired in 1995 and focused on the ridicule Lisa faced after opting for a plant-based diet.

“You don’t win friends with salad!” the Simpsons chant at her in the episode.

But McCartney’s promise that “if you play ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ backwards, you’ll hear a recipe for a really ripping lentil soup” was enough to help Lisa shut down her haters.

In spite of their consideration to end Lisa’s long-term commitment to vegetarianism, Azaria said he’s fairly confident the eldest Simpson daughter will stick to her greens.

He explained that “they made a vow to Sir Paul. No, you don’t break a knight’s vow. As we’ve learned from ‘Game of Thrones,’ you do that at your own risk.”









entertainment.ie
Hank Azaria reveals the real reason The Simpsons writers had to make Lisa a vegetarian
Story by Max Ramsbottom
Friday 19th August 2016



Ever since ditching meat for good in the season seven episode, Lisa the vegetarian, Lisa Simpson has become one of the most famous vegetarians in the world (even if she is a cartoon character).

However, the Simpsons writers never intended for that to be the case. According to Hank Azaria, they only made the decision to make her a vegetarian because it was the only way Paul McCartney would agree to cameo on the show.

Azaria told the Huffington Post that the former Beatle's main stipulation for guest starring was that they made Lisa become a vegetarian and never eat meat again for the rest of the show.

“I thought it was really cool that he stuck that [in],” Azaria said. "I can tell you, over the years, they were tempted a bunch of times to have Lisa break her vegetarian vow.”

However Azaria thinks that the writers will stick to their word.

“No, you don’t break a knight’s vow. As we’ve learned from ‘Game of Thrones,’ you do that at your own risk.”

So there you go. Turns out you do win friends with salad.