Voice actor Greg Cipes has been playing the role of DC’s Beast Boy for decades, not just in the wildly successful Teen Titans Go, but in shows such as the original Teen Titans and Young Justice as well. Earlier this year, fans were heartbroken to learn that Cipes had been fired from his role as the green-skinned superhero, with Greg stating that it was due to his recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. In an extensive new interview, Cipes details his legacy with the character, his recent firing, and his fight against Parkinson’s.
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In speaking with outlet Cartoon Base, Cipes didn’t mince words when it came to his dismissal from his role within the Teen Titans, “Being terminated was a big horrendous surprise because the success of season nine that I participated in secured the pick up for season 10 and I thought that I was gonna be recording season 10 of Teen Titans go as beast boy with the cast like I’ve always done for the 400+ episodes I recorded. I was feeling good from my many Parkinson’s treatments and ready to continue to record. Until this firing occurred and making me audition multiple times for a role that I’ve been playing for 23 years.”
“An Impersonator is Never Gonna do Beast Boy Justice”
Cipes further expanded on the recent controversy, “The way, Beast Boy talks, his personality, his sense of humor, his passion for animal rights, and a vegetarian diet, and now somebody’s gonna mimic me. It doesn’t feel right at all to be basically having my voice stolen from me. Replacing me with an impersonator is never gonna do Beast Boy justice, it’ll just be a bootleg version of my soul and the iconic voice I created. I helped to fully build and create one of the most popular cartoons and animated characters ever to air on tv, and I would have expected a lot more reverence, respect, and patience during my challenging times with Parkinson’s.”
Cipes also noted during the interview that WB already has someone in mind when it comes to taking his role over as Beast Boy, “They have somebody listening to my voice and trying their best to copy me. My cadence, my passion, my sense of humor, my soul and voice are not replicable. It’s not gonna be authentic, and the fans are gonna know it and feel it if this continues. It’s also silly and not needed because I can perform my role as Beast Boy even with Parkinson’s. I just sometimes need a little extra time in the rec booth for reading a few extra takes occasionally. The whole cast adamantly fought tooth and nail to try to convince WB not to replace me with the mimic impersonator. Our energy together as a cast is what made the show so good. We together made the team so loved because of our love for each other.”
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Image Courtesy of Ufotable
