Apple's Central Park casts Umbrella Academy's Emmy Raver-Lampman as the new Molly Tillerman

By Shannon Miller  |  July 24, 2020 | 9:44pm
Aux Features TV
Apple's Central Park casts Umbrella Academy's Emmy Raver-Lampman as the new Molly Tillerman
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L to R: Emmy Raver-Lampman (Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images) and Central Park’s Molly Tillerman (Apple) Graphic: The A.V. Club

Weirdos and superheros (both cutely drawn and otherwise), rejoice: Apple TV+’s Central Park has found its newest Molly Tillerman. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the animated musical comedy has asked The Umbrella Academy’s Emmy Raver-Lampman to step in as the awkward teenage comic book artist after Kristen Bell vacated the role in June.

Central Park’s creative team—Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad, Nora Smith, Halsted Sullivan and Sanjay Shah—released a lengthy statement both welcoming Raver-Lampman to the cast and thanking Bell, who they say will likely still appear on the show in a different capacity:

“After an extensive casting process that brought a number of incredible contenders to the forefront of our Molly search, we could not be more thrilled, honored, and certain that we have found the perfect marriage of character to voice in the amazing Emmy Raver-Lampman. From the moment we heard her Molly, we knew she was the right choice. Her comedic chops, endearing spirit and other-worldly singing prowess have us jumping with joy at the possibilities of this already wonderful character moving forward.

“Our gratitude for and thanks to Kristen Bell and the fantastic work she did in Season 1 can never be overstated. And as we look for new ways to utilize Kristen’s brilliant vocal talents moving forward, we are forever grateful for her support, her camaraderie, and most importantly her beautiful performance as Molly Tillerman in Season 1. We consider ourselves lucky to have both of these women as part of our Central Park family with so many more stories ready to be told.”

Bell exited the series amid an industry-wide reckoning with its lack of equitable representation. She was among a number of white actors who voiced Black characters before quitting the same day as Big Mouth’s Jenny Slate. Family Guy’s Mike Henry also chose to give up the role of Cleveland Brown after playing the supporting character for 20 years.

Before she makes her Central Park debut, Raver-Lampman will continue her role as Allison Hargreeves in the second season of The Umbrella Academy, which premieres on Netflix July 31. Her credits also include the original Broadway production of Hamilton.

 
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