Chris Parnell has voiced Jerry Smith since Rick and Morty first premiered in 2013, making him one of only a handful of cast members who have been with the Adult Swim series for its entire 13-year run. In an exclusive interview with The Direct, Parnell reflected on more than a decade playing Morty's goofy dad and revealed insights into Season 10 and beyond.
Season 9 is still airing new episodes weekly, with the finale releasing on July 26, but Parnell confirmed the animated show is well past the finish line on what comes next. He told The Direct the cast has "recorded all of season 10" and that the writers' room is "even on to Season 12 in terms of breaking stories."
Rick and Morty Season 9 broke a 12-year franchise tradition: the March poster deliberately omitted specific plot and character teases to build mystery and hype for the season.
With Rick and Morty being known for multiple universes and versions of these characters, Parnell said voicing different Jerrys is about "trying to be there in whatever that moment is that they've created on the page, and just fully embody it as much as I can."
Despite Jerry's many multiversal humiliations, Parnell still believes in his long-time character. Asked point-blank whether Jerry is a good father, he didn't hesitate: "I don't think he's a bad dad. I just think he's working against very challenging circumstances."
Parnell opened up about how the character has changed over the years, and he along with it, as the show continues to make audiences laugh worldwide.
Multiverse Mayhem: How Jerry Has Evolved
"That Has Taken Jerry to Dark Places..."
- The Direct: "How has Jerry changed, and how has your approach to voicing him evolved over the show's 13 years?"
Chris Parnell: "They give Jerry different kinds of adventures and more to do. It's really just about trying to be there in whatever that moment is that they've created on the page, and just fully embody it as much as I can.
That has taken Jerry to dark places, very emotional places, and just way-out-there places. Most recently, I got to be the voice of this cloud being who was inhabiting Jerry's body, helping Rick get back into his garage, and then Jer Bud, where I get to play the super cool version of Jerry.
I've gotten to be a mean version of Jerry... all kinds of places. It's just exciting that they want to take Jerry to those places, and I get to be a part of that."
Inside the Rick and Morty Recording Booth
"It's Just About Trying to Find What this Version of Jerry would be like..."
- The Direct: "With so many alternate versions of Jerry, what's the process like in the booth? How much context do you get before a session?"
Chris Parnell: I get the scripts in advance, so I'm able to read the script and have a sense of what's going on in that episode. When I'm in the booth, I'm there by myself, but I've got Scott Marder, the showrunner, on Zoom with me, and he's the one directing me.
A lot of times, Scott will fill me in, even though most of what he's saying I already know because I've read the script, but he'll also play the scenes with me if there's a lot of back and forth, and he'll do the voices of the other characters, which he does pretty well.
That makes a big difference in how I play it. You go into each episode on its own, but bringing all the Jerry that has come before with you. It's just about trying to find what this version of Jerry would be like, and the truth is, most of it's on the page. It's just about bringing it to life as fully as I can.
Chris Parnell's Favorite Jerry Moments
"They Asked Jerry to Go to These Places We Don't Normally See Him Go..."
- The Direct: "Do any Jerry moments stand out to you as favorites, including from Season 9?"
Chris Parnell: I felt good about the Cloud Jerry, the cloud being version of Jerry, and then the Jer Bud episode with all the worms...Those were fun to do, and it's nice when I watch them and think, 'Okay, yeah, I'm all right with that.' I felt good about the work, and that's not always the case. It almost always is with Rick and Morty, but with other stuff, it's not necessarily the case.
I remember this one Rick and Morty...where Jerry's in the woods in a future where Morty abandoned the family, it's very dark, and everybody's gone, and I'm just there in caveman attire, living it like a wild, dark version of Jerry.
And then the other one, where Jerry's professing his love to Beth, he's hanging from a plane, it's very emotional. I think those stand out because they asked Jerry to go to these places we don't normally see him go.
Jerry's Evil Twist in Season 9
Warning - The following section contains minor spoilers from the Season 9 finale of Rick and Morty.
"It's Really a Completely Different Character Than Jerry..."
- The Direct: "The Season 9 finale, "Field of Dreams," introduces an alternate Jerry who seems loving at first, then reveals himself to be controlling and unhinged. What can you tell us about playing him?"
Chris Parnell: That Jerry is pretty different from our Jerry, so it was really about going deeper into the anger of the character, the anguish of the character, and the machoness of that version of Jerry.
He's very different, but it's fun to get to go there and try to be that guy. It's really a completely different character than Jerry; he just happens to have my voice. And even there, it's different parts of my voice, different aspects of my voice than we'd probably hear in our normal version of Jerry.
