“You Can’t Say ‘It’s a Me’ For 90 Minutes!” Chris Pratt Reveals “Real” Mario Voice and Why It Isn’t In the Movie

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Chris Pratt as Star-Lord

Credit: Marvel Studios

Chris Pratt’s casting in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) hasn’t been well received by fans of Nintendo’s beloved video game icon, with the backlash stemming from the fact that Pratt isn’t Italian, and that his Mario voice doesn’t sound like Charles Martinet’s, the voice actor best known for voicing Mario (and Luigi) in the long-running video game series.

Since the casting was announced, fans have taken to Twitter to criticize the decision to cast a non-Italian actor, while an actress from the Marvel Cinematic Universe also made it clear that she thinks the role should have been given to fellow voice actor Martinet. The trailer, which premiered online a few months ago, while awesome, did little to help matters.

Mario in 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'
Credit: Universal Studios / Nintendo / Illumination

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However, even before the first trailer arrived online, Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri defended the casting of Chris Pratt, saying the following at last year’s Barcelona’s CineEurope event:

“Chris was cast because we felt he could give a great performance as Mario. And now that we’ve done about 15 recording sessions, and the movie is three-quarters done, I sit here and say that I love his performance as Mario,” Meledandri said. He added that, as he has Italian American heritage, he could make that decision without worrying about offending Italians or Italian Americans. “I think we’re gonna be just fine. Especially because [Pratt] he’s given such a strong performance.”

Jack Black as King Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Credit: Universal Studios / Nintendo / Illumination

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The trailer itself has been widely praised, although Pratt’s Mario voice remains a bone of contention with some fans. But on a recent episode of BBC’s The One Show, the Jurassic World actor pointed out that there “are only a few things we’ve ever heard Mario say” in the games, such as “wahoo!” and “It’s a me!”, both of which he speak in a more authentic Mario voice than what we get in the trailers. He then goes on to explain the decision behind making changes to the accent for the film.

Here’s what he said:

“There are only a few things we’ve ever really heard Mario say. This… ‘wahoo!’ There’s a few things like… ‘It’s a me! Let’s go!’ These types of things, so we were trying to find a way to put that into the movie, but in a way that would be congruent with a storyline of these working class American guys from Brooklyn. At one point, I was like ‘Can I just say ‘it’s me’?”

Actor Charlie Day, who plays Luigi in the film, backs this up by saying, “You can’t say ‘it’s a me’ for 90 minutes!”

Check out the full clip below:

Related: Everything You Need to Know About ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’

While Pratt has been on the receiving end of backlash since he was first cast in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it’s worth pointing out that the late Bob Hoskins, who played the titular plumber in the 1993 live-action film, also wasn’t an Italian actor.

Check out the most recent trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie below:

Related: Chris Pratt’s Voice For Super Mario Brothers Finally Revealed

The Super Mario Bros. Movie stars Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), Fred Armisen (Cranky Kong), Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek), Sebastian Maniscalo (Foreman Spike), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), Khary Payton (The Penguin King), and Charles Martinet and Eric Bauza in an undisclosed roles.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie releases in theaters on March 31, 2023 in the UK, on April 7, 2023 in North America, and on April 28, 2023 in Japan.

Mario (Chris Pratt) in 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' (2023)
Credit: Universal Studios / Nintendo / Illumination

Related: Outraged Fans Will Boycott Chris Pratt’s Voice In ‘Super Mario Bros.’

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