Despite rumors to the contrary, Jason Statham did not lend his voice to the role of Zestial Morde in Prime Video’s Hazbin Hotel. Let’s delve into why audiences temporarily thought the action star may have been the performer behind the singing demon.
Why People Thought Jason Statham Voiced Zestial in Hazbin Hotel
Streaming audiences familiar with Prime Video’s setup are likely accustomed to the X-Ray feature provided on many films and television shows. X-Ray grants audiences a quick overview of key performers in a given scene, features music, and sometimes even provides behind-the-scenes factoids. While X-Ray can often circumvent a trip to IMDb or even Shazam, Hazbin Hotel’s recent lapse proved that the service might not always be picture-perfect.
Prime’s X-Ray feature originally identified Statham as the voice actor behind Hazbin Hotel’s Zestial Morde, a spider-like demon with a propensity for Old English idioms. Since Hazbin Hotel is a musical comedy stacked with Broadway performers, Zestial likewise participated in Episode 3’s “Whatever It Takes.” Audiences were undoubtedly excited to hear what they thought was Statham in such an unexpected role.
While Hazbin Hotel stars key Broadway alums like Erika Henningsen, Alex Brightman, Christian Borle, and Jeremy Jordan, the cast also boasts actors that audiences are less accustomed to hearing in a musical theater setting. Stars like Brooklyn 99’s Stephanie Beatriz and all-around legendary actor Keith David are among some of the less-expected additions to Hazbin Hotel’s musical comedy ensemble. Perhaps this aided the believability of X-Ray’s initial false accreditation, but Statham is not a part of Hazbin Hotel‘s cast.
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Who Actually Plays Hazbin Hotel’s Zestial Morde?
The Tony Award-winning actor James Monroe Iglehart is the actual performer behind Hazbin Hotel’s Zestial Morde. Iglehart is known for stage roles in Hamilton, Spamalot, Memphis, and Aladdin, in which he played the Genie and earned the 2014 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Fans of Hazbin Hotel creator Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano may additionally recognize Iglehart’s voice from his minor role in the original YouTube pilot version of the show or from Helluva Boss, in which he played Ozzie and Vortex. Iglehart is one of many performers in Prime’s iteration of Hazbin Hotel to have previously collaborated with Medrano.
While many audiences responded in excited surprise when they saw Statham mistakenly credited as Zestial, the crowd drawn to Hazbin Hotel because of its impressive Broadway cast were left slightly confused. Prime quickly corrected the X-Ray error, with the feature now properly crediting Iglehart. Though Zestial was ultimately not played by Statham, initial reaction on social media certainly proved that the prospect of the action star in a full-fledged musical tickled audiences.
And that’s why people thought Jason Statham voiced Zestial in Hazbin Hotel.
Hazbin Hotel is available to stream on Prime Video.
