Why Rick and Morty Replaced Justin Roiland With Two Actors Rather Than One

The makers of Rick and Morty explain why they replaced Justin Roiland with two new voice actors instead of one.

By Kofi Outlaw

Rick and Morty Season 7 had its big premiere, which officially revealed the two new voice actors taking over the role of Rick and Morty from Justin Roiland. Ian Cardoni is the new voice of Rick, while Harry Belden is the new voice of Morty – but why two actors instead of one? 

It's not as though Rick and Morty had any shortage of Roiland imitators who were skilled at mimicking Rick, Morty, and a lot of the other animated characters he has voiced. In fact, there's a certain segment of the Rick and Morty fandom that's upset over the fact that TikTok sensation Sean Kelly (aka "mortysays") wasn't the one given the job. So why did the makers of Rick and Morty decide to embark on the more difficult search for not one, but two, new voice actors? According to show co-creator Dan Harmon and producer Scott Marder, there was a simple logic to it: lightening the load. 

"There were different schools of thought," Marder revealed to THR. "For sheer quality of life, it'd be easier for the amount of work required for both characters. We watched it over the years wear down on Roiland's voice. It felt unfair to do that to someone."

In Dan Harmon's view, putting the replacement of Roiland on the shoulders of just one person wasn't just a strain on that new actor, it would arguably make it harder for the audience to get past the change: 

"In retrospect, it's also smart because we want the fan experience to continue with as little disruption as possible," Harmon explained. "In a weird way, catering to the idea that there's been a replacement of a single human being – an auteur – is going to play into the disruption factor. We really want people to keep believing these characters are real." 

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(Photo: Adult Swim)

The choice came at a high cost, as Marder and Harmon also revealed just how difficult it was to replace Roiland. Rick was a particularly hard character to re-cast, as Marder said that "people had it in splashes but once you bring them back in, they couldn't do it conversationally, which is what we needed. It was exhaustive."

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The fan reaction to Rick and Morty's new voices has been split, even if the reactions to the Season 7 premiere have generally been favorable. Time (and additional episodes) will tell if the new voice actors carve out their place. 

Rick and Morty Season 7 is airing new episodes Sunday nights on Adult Swim. 

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