Nick Kroll discusses making Big Mouth more inclusive
The Netflix animated comedy will debut its first asexual character in the sixth season, out tomorrow
Six seasons in, it’s inevitable for any show to evolve. For the middle school-set Big Mouth, it could also be called growing up. In a new interview with New York Magazine’s The Cut, star and co-creator Nick Kroll addresses how the Netflix animated show has become more inclusive over the years.
“We quickly realized this was a show about much more than two straight Jewish white boys from Westchester,” the comedian says. Big Mouth has historically revolved primarily around Kroll’s character, also named Nick, and Andrew, voiced by John Mulaney. “By now, the characters and the stories have taken on a life of their own.”
Despite the show being populated by hormone monsters and a Shame Wizard, they’re all part of Big Mouth being rooted in very human perspectives, which have expanded over the years to reflect the real world. The cast of Bridgeton Middle School students now includes characters voiced by Ali Wong, Gina Rodriguez, and Joel Kim Booster, amongst others.
Previously, Big Mouth was called out for casting Jenny Slate as the voice actor for Missy, a Black character. The Marcel The Shell star stepped away from the role in 2020 and was replaced by Ayo Edebiri. Missy’s plotlines since then have reflected that the new casting allows for a deeper exploration of her identity. (Fellow Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman never took action on Alison Brie voicing the Vietnamese-American Diane Nguyen despite consistent criticism across six seasons.)
Big Mouth has been acclaimed for its humorous depictions of its characters figuring out their sexualities, often to outrageous, eye-popping effect. In the sixth season, released this week, the series will introduce its first asexual character, something requested by fans. The show’s writers work with sex educators and psychologists to help them get things right.
“You don’t want to force these story lines,” Kroll tells The Cut. “You don’t want to limit a character to, like, This kid, his whole thing is that he’s ace.”
The sixth season of Big Mouth premieres on Netflix on October 28.