The Hemsworths & Hugh Jackman Said Yeah, Nah To Another Aussie ‘Simpsons’ Ep

Most showbiz interpretations of Australia seem to fall a little flat, as there’s always something just a little too kind about ’em: it’s all about shimmering beaches, mateship, and ugh, larrikinism. We tend to keep such visions at arm’s length, especially those coming from America. But The Simpsons’ take in Bart Vs. Australia? Iconic. Beloved. A masterpiece.

We speculate it has something to do with its accuracy. Few artistic works, let alone animated sitcoms, have so deftly explained Australia’s parochial pride and correlating idiocy. Meme enclaves live and die by re-contextualising the images of locals Tobias and Bruno Dundridge, proving the lasting relevancy of their small-minded grievances.

Maybe that’s why the Hemsworths and Hugh Jackman turned down the opportunity to voice characters on a new Australia-themed Simpsons episode – they may not have wanted to get involved with a show that so brutally summed up so many aspects of our culture, especially when they just appeared in a multi-million dollar tourism campaign.

Speaking to TV Guide, showrunner Al Jean admitted the crew totally failed to get those superstars on deck for another round of Knifey Spooney.

“We tried to get the Hemsworth brothers but they passed,” Jean said. “We wrote a part for them, but they said no. We also asked Hugh Jackman and he passed as well, so we tried.”

As those stars may have turned down the offer, it may be prudent to just create a straight-up sequel to Bart Vs. Australia. Hell, we know of a certain ex-deputy prime minister who could be our next resident pond-drinker.

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