The wait for new Rick and Morty content for fans of adult animation came to an end on Sunday as Adult Swim aired the premiere episode of Season 5. Not only did the episode quell any fears viewers may have had about the quality of the new episodes, but a new character was also introduced in the form of Rick's nemesis.
Although Rick and Morty is only just beginning to air Season 5, the series initially premiered back in 2013. That means the cast has been working on the show for nearly a decade despite having half the amount of seasons to show for it.
We recently had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Spencer Grammer (Greek), daughter of Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), and more relevantly, the voice behind Summer Smith. We asked her exactly how long she's looking to voice Summer in the series, and the actress was very adamant about owning the role for the foreseeable future.
For those who prefer audio, we've included the podcast version of our chat with Spencer below, along with a transcripted excerpt from our conversation. Those looking for a fully immersive experience will find our full video interview at the bottom.
Literary Joe: I know that you're in for ten seasons of Rick and Morty, but could you see yourself voicing Summer beyond then, considering voice acting isn't something you necessarily age out of?
Spencer Grammer: I mean, if I'm really nice to my voice, maybe. (Laughs) But no, I want to do Rick and Morty forever. If I can do it until I'm like eighty. I don't know, even if they have to put an electronic mouth in my mouth to make me say the words or something. I don't know. Like, once I have a microchip in my head, I'm still doing Rick and Morty. I'm forever playing Summer Smith. No one can take it away. Don't think about it.
My voice is a little lower in real life. I try to pitch it up a little bit more and give it a little bit more of that (imitates Summer). I don't know, different feel with lots of long vowels and stuff like that. And long words. But most of the time, it's pretty much my voice. I mean, I grew up in Southern California. What can I say? Damn them. Damn those parents.
What do you guys think of these comments from Spencer Grammer? Be sure to check out the full video interview below, and stay tuned for more exciting excerpts from our chat!
Spencer Grammer is in the house! The actress and voice performer behind Rick & Morty's Summer Smith stops by the show to talk about the character now that she's voiced her for a decade!
We dig deep into Summer's character arc and how a mixture of her own personality and the writing helped lend to that growth. Discussing which characters she'd like to see re-visit the show, we shared plenty of laughs about Bucket Head, Snowball, Summer's ex, and more.
We joke about a potential crossover where she finds her ex-boyfriend in the Solar Opposites wall and what dimension Summer would choose to visit with Rick's portal gun - The Neverending Story.
Talk turns to her father, Frasier and X-Men star Kelsey Grammer, and we discuss why he doesn't watch Rick and Morty, and we even cook up a jestful scheme that would see the actor play Summer's father from a different dimension, as Frasier.
Spencer shares tidbits about her decade of experience with the show and makes it clear that she has no plans to leave the character of Summer behind, as well as talking to us about a few of her other projects.
It was a ton of fun, and make sure to tune in next week when we chat with Beth and Jerry voices Sarah Chalke and Chris Parnell!
Rick and Morty Season 5 launches new episodes on Sundays at midnight.