Rick and Morty Season 8 is in full swing and, as I've already said, the latest episodes are further proof this series should air as long as possible. In hindsight, it's crazy to think that there was once a point where fans thought the show might be finished once Justin Roiland was fired, and the series had to recast the title roles voiced by the series' co-creator. Fortunately, Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni were more than up for the challenge, and they blew my mind when they shared two facts about working on the show.
Both voices actors sound as close as possible to Roiland's takes on Rick and Morty. However, there were some things that Roiland reportedly brought to the table that couldn't be replicated. Roiland was known for his improv, which he could work in seamlessly into conversations between his two characters. When I spoke to both Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni -- on behalf of CinemaBlend -- about how improv relates to their voice-acting work, Cardoni said that their ability to use it is limited:
I think by the time the scripts get in front of us, they've gone through so many iterations. The writers really do an amazing job and they've got it in a place that they really feel really works for the show and the improvisational sounding moments are often written in. And, so while we've, especially in season 8, I've had some, creative license in terms of where burps are placed, and you know certain stammers and yells and things like that. The improv comes in the delivery in finding the motivation behind the words, but the writers are really kind of giving the core material. So there's not much. It would be hubris of me to think that, you know. You could just come up with stuff that's, you know, that hasn't gone through the rounds of editing and careful, meticulous process that the writers do, but there's moments where we add in our own personalities and our own take on the characters, and I think that's where where that sort of creativity and improvisational tone comes from.
While Justin Roiland was obviously part of the Rick and Morty writers' room, Ian Cardoni, and Harry Belden are not. So the pair didn't have a hand in penning some of R&M's best episodes and focus their attention on voicing the two lead characters. The good news is they do have some say in the creative decisions that go into the actual voice work.
Ian Cardoni, who ultimately landed the job for Morty over another voice actor the internet rallied behind, added more to the explanation and threw me for a loop. As I learned, not only is the "improv" I thought I was hearing all part of the script, but both of these actors record their interactions in separate locations:
100% agree. It's exactly what Ian said. We also don't record together, so we're not, as I think a lot of people might think, bouncing off of each other. I was saying earlier that I'm really happy that a lot of people assume that we do, because it means we're doing something right. The show is doing something right, and yeah, it's a, yeah, the creative license comes in the delivery, and yeah, the stammering for Morty. I like to think I know when Morty stammers and doesn't stammer, but it's always fun to just be like, 'Oh, what if we added a big stammer there for that, and then it turns into a whole, a whole thing.'
It's truly mind-blowing to me that Rick and Morty can have such great chemistry as characters when Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni are not even in the same room. That said, per multiple reports, the voice actors became fast friends after meeting, which may play into the natural chemistry they have as a duo. Then again, a more organic relationship would be if Cardoni was a terrible grandfather of Belden, but I prefer them just being friends.
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The chemistry the two stars share is even more prevalent in Season 8 of Rick and Morty, which won't stream for those with a Max subscription until September. Even so, the first two episodes, which aired on Adult Swim, have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that these two should be the ones to carry the series far into the future, which seems to be the plan for now.
On that note, Dan Harmon told CinemaBlend there's no plan to end the series at this time. The popular meme of "a hundred years of Rick and Morty" could very well come to pass, as the show hopes to eclipse the runs of many iconic animated shows that are still running. Season 8 shows it's on a good path to do so, based on the first handful of episodes. Here's hoping I still feel that way by the end of the season and that Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni's chemistry only continues to flourish.
Catch new episodes of Rick and Morty on Sundays at 11:00 p.m. ET on Adult Swim amid the 2025 TV schedule. I can't wait to see what other adventures the family will get into, and how these episodes set the stage for Seasons 9 and 10.
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