Julie Kavner is the iconic voice that has been behind The Simpsons’ Marge Simpson for nearly 800 episodes (not counting the specials, game, ride, movie and more). But, in a live-action sense, the actress hasn’t appeared in a movie since 2006. So, what brought her back to the big screen at the age of 75?
Following her last role in Click, where she played the mother to Adam Sandler’s character, you can catch Julie Kavner in one of the remaining 2025 movie releases, Ella McCay, where she plays the titular character’s secretary and the movie’s narrator. It actually reunites her with James L. Brooks, who’s the co-creator of the forever iconic The Simpsons. When CinemaBlend spoke to the legendary TV creator, here’s what he told us about bringing the actress back to live-action:
It was always absolutely from the beginning. I worked with her on The Simpsons and we know each other forever and ever and ever. And, she’s unique. There’s only one Julie Kavner, comic genius, and having her as the voice of the narrator is just the person you want taking you by the hand through the movie.
Kavner’s new role serves as the charming framework for Ella McCay, which is about a 34-year-old woman who must juggle a myriad of challenges after suddenly being asked to take over as governor in the year 2008. It’s a welcome return for the filmmaker behind Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News and As Good As It Gets.
Julie Kavner is, of course, one of the most popular voice actors we can think of. Before her long hiatus from live-action movies (and goodness knows she’s still been busy doing The Simpsons), she showed up in person for notable movies like 1990’s Awakenings with Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro, for example, and she starred in the 1970s sitcom Rhoda (which James L. Brooks also co-created).
Ella McCay serves as a bit of a homecoming for James L. Brooks, who hasn’t made his own movie since 2010’s How Do You Know. During our interview, the writer/director/producer told us he was “going crazy, not writing” when he started formulating the characters for Ella McCay, and shortly after, the story followed.
As he described it, “the wagon came first” rather than the horse, but the result is a hilarious and relatable family comedy also starring Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Woody Harrelson, Rebecca Hall, Kumail Nanjiani, Spike Fearn, Albert Brooks and The Bear standout Ayo Edebiri.
It’s kind of perfect that the actress behind Marge Simpson is back for a live-action movie, thanks to The Simpsons co-creator, and her role adds a lot of charm to the movie. You can see Julie Kavner in Ella McCay when it hits theaters this December 12.