Big Mouth writer Ayo Edebiri cast as Missy on Netflix animated series after Jenny Slate stepped down

Big Mouth writer Ayo Edebiri cast as Missy on Netflix animated series after Jenny Slate stepped down from playing biracial character

Comedian Ayo Edebiri has been cast in the role of Missy on Big Mouth after Jenny Slate’s departure from the part.

Jenny announced in June that she would stop playing Missy because she felt it was inappropriate for her as a white actress to portray the biracial character.

Now Ayo, 24, who had already been hired as a writer on the Netflix animated series, has been tapped to replace her in the role, according to Variety.

As seen on the show: Jenny announced in June that she would stop playing Missy because she felt it was inappropriate for her as a white actress to portray the biracial character

New role: Comedian Ayo Edebiri has been cast in the role of Missy on Big Mouth after Jenny Slate’s departure from the part

Missy is a bookish adolescent girl in the show which takes a comedic look at the pains of teenage development.

Ayo shared: ‘I was definitely a very uncomfortable child, so I think the show speaks to that and a lot of those feelings, which still resonate with me as an adult.’

She explained: ‘I’m back home in my childhood bedroom right now and on my bookshelf in between A Series of Unfortunate Events is Bill Clinton’s autobiography and Nelson Mandela’s autobiography and a translation of The Iliad in Latin.’

Ayo, who was also on the writing staff of Sunnyside, told Variety: ‘I was a true dork. So I don’t think I have to go too far to connect with Missy.’

Who's who: Missy is a bookish adolescent girl in the show which takes a comedic look at the pains of teenage development

Who’s who: Missy is a bookish adolescent girl in the show which takes a comedic look at the pains of teenage development

Although Jenny had already completed her voice work for Big Mouth’s upcoming fourth season the show found a way to include Ayo in the second-last episode.

The initial plan was to leave Jenny’s voice in as Missy throughout season four and then for Ayo to join the cast in season five.

‘By the time we made the decision to cast Ayo, we had finished all of Season 4 and delivered it to Netflix,’ said Andrew Goldberg who created Big Mouth along with Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin and Nick Kroll.

Initially the idea was to not make Ayo ‘start her journey with this part by matching what Jenny did already. That’s not a way for her to make it her own.’

New work: She celebrated her new role on Twitter this Friday by posting side-by-side snaps of 'Me irl' and 'Animated me'

New work: She celebrated her new role on Twitter this Friday by posting side-by-side snaps of ‘Me irl’ and ‘Animated me’

However Jennifer was able to locate ‘a really organic and cool place’ for Ayo to slip into the role, according to Andrew.

Nick explained: ‘It’s about Missy’s continued evolution as a person – that she has all of these different parts of who she is.’

He dished: ‘There’s the sidelines Missy and the more sexually adventurous Missy, mirror Missy, and then also this Missy that she’s been discovering [in Season 4] through hanging out with her cousins and really taking a look at her black identity.’

Ayo described the episode as having as ‘a nice farewell to Jenny in that moment, too, in a way’ and said she gave Jenny an ‘homage’ as ‘The voice I found is also because of the work Jenny did, too.’

Stepping aside: Jenny announced her departure from the role of Missy amid the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in June; she is pictured last May

Stepping aside: Jenny announced her departure from the role of Missy amid the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in June; she is pictured last May

She celebrated her new role on Twitter this Friday by posting side-by-side snaps of ‘Me irl’ and ‘Animated me.’ 

Jenny announced her departure from the role of Missy amid the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in June.

‘At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play “Missy” because her mom is Jewish and White – as am I,’ she said.

The Obvious Child star added: ‘But “Missy” is also Black, and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people.’

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