Hank Azaria is opening up about his decision to retire voicing Apu on “The Simpsons.”

The Emmy-winning voice actor, 55, announced last month that he would stop voicing the beloved yet divisive character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, which has been criticized as a racist caricature that promotes negative stereotypes about Indians.

“Once I realized that that was the way this character was thought of, I just didn’t want to participate in it anymore,” Azaria told The New York Times in an interview published Tuesday. “It just didn’t feel right.”