‘Futurama’ Star John DiMaggio Names Bender’s Best-Ever Insult

Kif’s a father now. Bender is, ever-increasingly, a third wheel in Fry and Leela’s relationship. And Scruffy is, well, still Scruffy in the newest season of Futurama, which debuts on Hulu today. While the janitor of the Planet Express crew is still enjoying his low-key status quo, most of the characters are presented with new avenues to explore. Still, this season is very much in keeping with the Futurama everyone knows, loves and remembers. 

For the debut of the 13th season, I spoke with the voices of Bender (John DiMaggio) and Kif (Maurice LaMarche) about the new challenges their characters face this season as well as what Scruffy (Dave Herman) may have been up to off-camera. 

For this new season, or at least since the revival in general, what new areas have your characters been exploring that you found really interesting?

Maurice LaMarche: Fatherhood. Kif navigating fatherhood has been a really cool note to play. He’s gone from this basically one-note, eye-roll, sighing character having to put up with this idiot boss Zapp Brannigan, to a very fleshed-out character. First, beginning with falling in love with and romancing Amy. Then, finding a heroic side in emergencies. Parenthood has been kind of a natural progression of that. There’s a lovely episode, “Scared Screenless,” this season that’s a wonderful exploration of fathers and sons around the adolescent age.

Do you miss any of the abuse from Zapp Brannigan?

LaMarche: Occasionally.

John DiMaggio: He misses looking at his balls!

LaMarche: I do wish we’d bring back a little of that because that was a fun dynamic. Billy West and I have a certain rhythm. It’s fun, but dramatically, the character has grown quite a bit, and there’s a couple of more layers to him, so that’s been neat.

Dave and John, how about you guys?

Dave Herman: Scruffy has renewed several subscriptions to porn mags.

DiMaggio: For Bender, it’s been exploring the avenue of robot anal. No, I’m kidding. The first episode is great. Bender is very insecure about his height, and it just explodes from there. We’re up to the same old hijinks, but it’s always great to come back and do these characters. We have great writers. We trust them, and they trust us.

With Leela having moved in with Fry and Bender, there’s been more of Bender as a third wheel and Bender being jealous, which has been really funny.

DiMaggio: Yes. Jealous Bender’s always fun. Jealous Bender says whatever he wants. That’s the best part. Whenever he’s like that, he’s unleashed, and he says the funniest shit. He’s had a lot of those moments this season.

Dave, there’s an episode about soulmates where Scuffy’s soulmate is revealed to be his mop bucket. Which inanimate object would be your soulmate?

Herman: I’ve always been fond of toaster ovens. Is there anything better than a toaster oven? Really, I could get by just with a toaster oven.

For each of you, who’s been your favorite celebrity or president head-in-a-jar to play on the show?

Herman: Did I do Warren G. Harding? 

LaMarche: I hear you do the best Warren G. Harding.

Herman: Warren G. Harding. I’m going to say that one.

LaMarche: For me, I’ll say Orson Welles. How can I not? His motivation in that particular episode is to eat a cheese log. It’s very fun for Orson to say “cheese log.” (As Orson Welles) “Get me a cheese log, and I’ll go down on you.” (Back to his own voice) We just can’t stay out of the gutter in this interview.

DiMaggio: You know what I like? Who was it that Maurice portrayed and got attacked by the crab, Citizen Snips? 

Was it Teddy Roosevelt?

DiMaggio: It was Teddy Roosevelt! That one was funny as hell.

Maurice, what was your favorite moment of Kif being humiliated?

LaMarche: Oh, it has to be… (as Zapp Brannigan) “Kif, follow me up this ladder.” (As Kif) “Oh geez.”

Herman: There we go! Back to the balls!

DiMaggio: Balls! Back to the balls!

Dave, give me a favorite Scruffy line.

Herman: (As Scruffy) “My job? Toilets and boilers, boilers and toilets. Plus, that one boiling toilet.”

John, what’s Bender’s best insult?

DiMaggio: (As Bender) “Get a room you two!” (As a hotel customer) “We’re in a room!” (As Bender) “Then lose some weight!”

Also, when Hermes is attempting to jump off the Planet Express building and everybody’s like, “Don’t do it, Hermes!” and Bender just goes, “Do a flip!”