Pamela Adlon, the voice behind Bobby Hill in the recently revived "King of the Hill," expressed her excitement over her Emmy nomination for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance. Adlon described the nomination as a "pinch-me moment," emphasizing that being recognized by peers feels even more significant than winning.
Adlon also shared a particularly memorable experience on the day Emmy nominations were announced: she saw her "King of the Hill" co-star Stephen Root, whom she considers a "show husband, best friend, brother." Root was also nominated that day, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Apple TV+'s "Widow's Bay."
"It was very, very cool," Adlon stated.
Reflecting on her long tenure with "King of the Hill," Adlon noted that voicing Bobby has been the "joy of [her] professional life." She recounted going through all three of her pregnancies while embodying the 12-year-old character and expressed joy that the show has returned 15 years later.
Regarding her voice acting process for Bobby, Adlon explained that she established a rule early in her career to avoid adopting voices that could not be sustained during long recording sessions. "You can't get locked into a voice that you can't sustain for a four-hour session," she said.
Adlon praised the writing team of "King of the Hill," acknowledging their skill in balancing the show's vintage storytelling with contemporary relevance. She noted the current writing staff includes both veteran writers and younger talent, striking a "perfect chord" that feels organic to the original series.
On the topic of the show's revival, Adlon commented on the successful aging of its characters. She mentioned a flashback scene showing a younger Bobby with blue hair working at Whataburger, which depicted his burgeoning passion for the restaurant industry. Adlon also discussed the challenge of maintaining Bobby's voice as he ages, stating she made a personal choice to adapt the cadence to make the performance work for her.
"King of the Hill" has already been renewed for two additional seasons, with the current season being the second of the reboot. Adlon mentioned that recording a season is a relatively quick process, though she misses the days when the cast recorded together in the same room. Current recording sessions are largely isolated due to actors being geographically dispersed, although table reads still bring the cast together.
Adlon also touched on other projects, including her guest role in the Netflix series "Mating Season," where she voiced Nick Kroll's mother. She previously worked with Kroll on "History of the World, Part II," playing his wife.
When asked about a potential reboot of "Californication," Adlon revealed that a script had been written and well-received, but the series' former network, Showtime, no longer exists. She indicated that the cast would be open to a reboot if a new network acquired the rights.