Exactly a month after Kristen Bell announced she was stepping away from voicing the mixed-race character Molly, Apple has found her replacement in the form of `Hamilton` alumna and `Umbrella Academy` star Emmy Raver-Lampman.
She will become the show's third prominent former `Hamilton` cast member, joining Leslie Odom Jr. (who plays Molly's father Owen Tillerman) and Daveed Diggs (who voices the assistant to Stanley Tucci's tyrannical Bitsy Brandenham).
The re-casting comes amid a racial reckoning in the animated space, which has seen multiple white actors stop voicing characters of color.
For a long while, the most high profile example of a white actor voicing a character of color on TV was Apu on `The Simpsons,` who was played for decades by Hank Azaria. Calls for Azaria to stop playing Apu intensified over the last few years after comedian Hari Kondabolu released the documentary `The Problem With Apu` in 2017, and the actor eventually gave in, announcing earlier this year that he will no longer be voicing the character.
`Central Park,` which follows the Tillerman family living in the iconic New York City landmark, hails from `Bob's Burgers` creator Loren Bouchard, who previously addressed Bell's casting during a panel in Jan. At that point, it was clear the producers had no intention of re-casting the role.
The A-list `Central Park` cast also includes Josh Gad, Kathryn Hahn, and Tituss Burgess. `Central Park` was originally given a two-season order by Apple.
Raver-Lampman will next be seen in season 2 of `The Umbrella Academy,` which drops July 31 on Netflix. She is represented by WME, Authentic Talent and Literary Management and The Nord Group.