Cartwright takes on more than Bart Simpson

Some adults claim to be kids at heart but few can claim to play
one on TV ““or at least his voice. For a decade and a half
UCLA alumna Nancy Cartwright has breathed life into the mischievous
skateboard-toting, slingshot-flinging prankster Bart Simpson.

“It is a dream come true. I get paid to do what I used to
get punished for when I was a kid ““ burping and farting, and
all those kinds of things,” Cartwright said.

Getting the job of voicing Bart, named the cartoon character of
the century in Time’s 100 Poll, was won through hard work,
after moving out to Southern California from her hometown of
Dayton, Ohio. In 1978, Cartwright, who had been attending Ohio
University, flew out to attend UCLA and study under Daws Butler,
the voice of Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound.

Cartwright studied theater and became involved in productions on
campus during weekdays and honed her talents with the aid of Butler
on weekends.

Her dedication during this time helped Cartwright not only
professionally, but also psychologically ““her mother had
passed away a few weeks before her arrival in Los Angeles.

“My involvement was my passion and I stayed focused on my
own goals,” Cartwright said. “And by doing that it can
really help somebody get through troubled times if they put that
upset and they turn it into creativity.”

Cartwright originally was to audition for the part of Lisa.
However, when she read the role of Bart, she decided to try it out
and won it. She started to define the role on “The
Simpsons” shorts on “The Tracy Ullman Show”
before the Simpson family got its own show in 1990.

Cartwright’s creative achievements over the years have
spanned beyond Bart, but with Bart not too far behind.

“I had established myself in the industry prior to being
cast as Bart, however animation has evolved throughout the years
and honestly I don’t know where I would be right now without
Bart,” Cartwright said.

The world of animation has changed from being just Saturday
morning syndicated programming to including prime-time shows
competing against the big network lineups, and Cartwright can stake
a claim in the evolution not only thanks to “The
Simpsons” but also to hundreds of other characters in shows
such as “Animaniacs” and “The Critic.” Her
current shows include Disney’s “Kimpossible” and
Nickelodeon’s “Rugrats” where she has taken over
the voice of Chuckie after the original actor Christine Cavanaugh
retired.

“Cavanaugh created a really phenomenal character,”
Cartwright said. “He is really about 5 characters rolled into
one. But in taking over the role, I had to do my best to duplicate
all the nuances and all the nooks and crannies of this character.
It continues to be a challenge and I love it.”

Outside of cartoon voice work, Cartwright involves herself in
literacy and anti-drug community campaigns, with her most recent
efforts involving a fund-raiser for the Boys and Girls Club’s
Project Read in her home state of Ohio.

“Planet earth is a mess man. We need all the help we can
get,” Cartwright said.

While Cartwright may have hit it big with Bart and the scores of
characters she has played throughout her career, she acknowledges
it takes much more than a unique voice to make it.

“You kind of have to go at it as if it is a life or death
thing,” Cartwright said. “If you’re going to do
it for a living, you just have to have the passion and integrity to
back it up.”