The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender has had some major controversy surrounding it in various ways. Paramount decided to take the animated film out of theaters to make it a Paramount+ exclusive. Earlier this month, the entire film was leaked online, with various clips making their way to social media and bending fans from watching the movie from start to finish. As the creative team reels from the leaks, one of the voice actors who helped bring one of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s most beloved characters to life shared their thoughts on the controversy.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Michaela Jill Murphy has been a part of some major animated projects, including the likes of Naruto, Meet the Robinsons, Brother Bear, and Medalist, though she might be first and foremost known for her role as Toph Beifong. The most popular Earthbender of the series, Murphy discussed the recent leak of the movie that will feature an adult Toph in action, “Stop talking about it, and stop sharing things about it. If you want to be respectful, and if you want to know how I feel, stop sharing it. Stop consuming it. Stop talking about it. And watch it when it comes out. That’s what I’m doing. And if you want to respect the creators and respect the cast and respect me, and respect the art, then stop sharing it and editing it and looking at it and commenting about it.” You can see the video from Toph herself below.
Toph Speaks Up
Murphy also brought back Toph’s voice in the recent TikTok to ask for fans’ assistance in striking down the leaks wherever they appear: “The key to Earthbending is your stance. You’ve got to be steady and strong. Rock is a stubborn element, so if you’re going to move it, you’ve got to be like a rock yourself. So maybe just practice some discipline and patience. Flag videos where you see clips from it. Respect the art and respect the creators. I know everybody might not listen, but that’s not a reason for you not to listen. Just be respectful and wait. That’s how I feel about it.”
While Murphy might have helped introduce the world to Toph in the original animated series, the voice actor didn’t return to the role in the upcoming The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender. From top to bottom, the main cast received new voice actors for the Aang gang as adults, with Dionne Quan taking over the role in the Paramount film. With the second season of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender also casting a new actor to take on Toph, Miya Cech, quite a few performers have helped bring the Earthbender to life. With Paramount set to continue to explore the world of bending via Avatar: Seven Havens and two more films in the universe, expect far more earthbending to take place in the future.
What do you think of Toph sharing her thoughts on the major leak? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
