For the “Futurama” auditions, and indeed for all voice auditions for animated shows and movies, an actor is shown a drawing or a design of a character and then asked what they might sound like. The actors will have, as mentioned, a voice they may intend to perform, but it will likely change depending on character design. West had voices prepped but wasn’t even thinking about the role of Fry, as he was told the role had been filled already. As such, when asked, West was startled:
“[T]hey show you a picture of the character. I sat there and I was ready to do a couple of characters. But they had already cast Fry, and so I wasn’t ready for that. And they said, ‘What do you think?’ And I had to pull something out of my ass really fast. It was what I sounded like when I was 25. I was in a band and I was all whiny and nasally and complain-y. ‘Ah, s***. I broke a string! Now what am I gonna do?'”
West knew that Fry was to begin “Futurama” carrying unrequited affection for the cycloptic pilot Leela, the role eventually played by Katey Sagal. His whiny, 25-year-old self, he figured, would improve his dynamic with the character:
“[T]hat would be perfect for Leela. Because she’s so strong and decisive and he’s needy and all over the place. But his heart’s in the right place. So, I was a project for a girl. That’s what I based him on. I was a project. It was like, ‘Why do you wear that stained shirt? […] Look at your hair! What’s the matter? Don’t wear a stupid hat.’ And I was always like, ‘Okay, alright, alright.’ [T]hat was my interpretation.”