Morty from Rick and Morty opening the door to find Macho Man Randy Savage.

Rick & Morty: Justin Roiland Replacement Auditioners Sounded Like Macho Man

Rick and Morty show leads Scott Marder and Dan Harmon have revealed that finding a replacement for Justin Roiland as Rick was a lot tougher than they expected, as in their search for cream of the crop they ended up with an awful lot of Macho Man Randy Savage soundalikes.

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Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Marder and Harmon talked about finding a replacement for Justin Roiland. The search went on for six months, with thousands of voice actors involved. Rick, the show’s hard-drinking scientist, has a very distinctive, gravelly voice. But as Harman pointed out, there’s a balance involved, they have to be “..angry, sad, despondent and all those things.”

Related: Rick and Morty Season 7 Trailer Reveals New Voices for Titular Characters

What they often ended up with were performances that channeled the late Randy Savage, a wrestler known for his larger than life personality and over the top vocal delivery.

“Everyone sounded like Macho Man Randy Savage or like a cousin of his,” Marder explained. And some of those who could nail the performance were unable to pull it off conversationally, which is what the role requires.

Roiland, who co-created the show and voiced both Rick and Morty, was fired due to allegations of abuse.

Rick and Morty Season 7, the first season without Roiland, is currently underway. And if you’re wondering who the pair found to replace him, here’s your answer.


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Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen is a freelance contributor at The Escapist and has been with the site since 2020. He returned to writing about games following several career changes, with his most recent stint lasting five-plus years. He hopes that, through his writing work, he settles the karmic debt he incurred by persuading his parents to buy a Mega CD. Outside of The Escapist, Chris covers news and more for GameSpew. He's also been published at such sites as VG247, Space, and more. His tastes run to horror, the post-apocalyptic, and beyond, though he'll tackle most things that aren't exclusively sports-based. At Escapist, he's covered such games as Infinite Craft, Lies of P, Starfield, and numerous other major titles.