Becoming Bart Simpson: Nancy Cartwright gained confidence for her voice acting career at WOUB

Nancy Cartwright recently learned that the show she calls, “the greatest voice acting gig of all time,” has been picked up for four more seasons. That means "The Simpsons," on which Cartwright voices the lead character of Bart Simpson, will be on the air for 40 seasons.

“We’re in Season 36, and it’s still just as much fun as it was in the beginning, which is unbelievable,” said Cartwright. “Every episode, we paint such a visual picture through our voices, and to still be doing it is a dream.”

It’s a milestone she never imagined, but one she credits to the confidence she gained when she was a college student at Ohio University volunteering on a WOUB radio comedy program called "Fox Paw (A Social Blunder)."

“I did 'Fox Paw' during my sophomore year,” said Cartwright. “We’d go up to WOUB and record on the weekends. I remember trudging through the rain and trudging through the snow to get there. Once we were inside, there was water and wet everywhere, but going in, doing our job, having a great time, doing what we loved and not getting paid to do it was so fun.”

"Fox Paw" was broadcast on WOUB from 1977-1979. It can claim the distinction of being the comedic career start for Cartwright, as well as the late "Saturday Night Live" Comedy Writer Michael McCarthy and a Hollywood Warm Up Comedian Robert G. Lee.

“In retrospect, I feel like that was a very satisfying realization that I had,” said Cartwright. “To do something that you loved and then later in life get paid for it, that’s what every artist’s dream is.”

Cartwright was in Athens April 15 performing at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium with "ANIMANIACS: In concert." Given her history at Ohio University, Cartwright jumped at the opportunity to come back to campus.

“There was no pregnant pause. When they asked, I said, ‘I absolutely will do it,’” said Cartwright. “It’s lovely being back here.”

Cartwright walked around campus to see some of the places where she used to hang out with friends and she said it brought back a lot of memories. When she thinks about her time with "Fox Paw" on WOUB, she can’t help but realize how important it was to her career journey.

“I tell people all the time that if you can’t get paid for what you love, you should still find an outlet to do it because you don’t know what’s right around the corner. Anything could happen,” said Cartwright. “Coming into college, I sort of knew I wanted to be a voice actor, and WOUB, I loved every bit of it. Every part of that experience helped me to know I could do this. Do what you love and trust your instincts.”

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