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During a recent interview with Variety, John DiMaggio discussed his choice to reprise his popular Futurama character, Bender, following salary negotiations with Hulu. Previously, when the animated sci-fi show’s return was announced (following the sitcom series’ ten year hiatus), the voice actor’s name wasn’t listed among the other returning cast members.

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DiMaggio told the outlet, “When they made the announcement, it wasn’t like I had said no. We had been negotiating for a long time. It was a stalemate.”

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After realizing that there was a possibility that the actor wouldn’t return to voice Bender, fans of the series expressed their disappointment on social media.

At the time, DiMaggio took to Twitter to share his feelings on his character and his then-current situation with salary negotiations. He wrote, “Bender is a part of my soul and nothing about this is meant to be disrespectful to the fans or my Futurama family. It’s about self-respect. And honestly, being tired of an industry that’s become far too corporate and takes advantage of artists’ time and talent.”

John DiMaggio Said That Even Though He “Didn’t Get More Money” He Still Earned “A Lot of Respect”

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Soon after Hulu and the actor both announced that DiMaggio would be reprising his character on the reboot series. Still, during a fan event in May of 2022, the Adventure Time voice actor admitted that he hadn’t been able to secure the salary increase he’d been hoping for. At the time, DiMaggio said, “I didn’t get more money. But what I did get was a lot of respect, and a lot of head nods from people who are like, ‘Yo, bro, I see you and thank you.'”

While chatting with Variety, DiMaggio spoke about his decision to return to the series, saying that he didn’t want to be the reason a Futurama revival didn’t happen. He explained his choice by saying, “I didn’t want, nor did my agent want, me standing outside of a house that I should have been having Thanksgiving dinner in. It was just like, OK, I gotta say yes, because I don’t want the demise of the show on my shoulders.’ They were ready to bring in other people. It was what it was.”

Though the actor wasn’t able to get the pay increase he wanted, DiMaggio noted that he still felt good about his choices. He said, “When you’re David with a sling and you’re standing up to Goliath, you try to do what you can to get your side heard. I think I did.”

Additionally, DiMaggio stated that even though his return to the series didn’t have the best start, he’s still excited to bring back the character that first appeared during Futurama’s premiere back in 1999. He said, “It makes me so happy that we can touch people with this goofy sci-fi comedy that has some of these tender moments in it. It resonates with people.”

As for how the actor feels about seeing SAG-AFTRA and WGA continue their strike, DiMaggio noted that their actions make him feel “vindicated” about his choices. He said, “It’s kind of interesting that the strike is happening, because it’s all the stuff that I wanted and was fighting for – not only for myself, but everybody else. Now it’s not just me versus them. Now it’s everybody versus them.”

Futurama returns with its premiere on Hulu on July 24th.