Granted, I’m not a fancy-smancy Hollywood director or casting agent or movie promotional expert. But it seems to me like it’s really bad business to cast Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario in Super Mario Bros Movie and then the entire f–king promotional tour and every interview is all about how Pratt’s voice sucks and he shouldn’t have been cast to voice Mario? Like, I get it – it’s all “buzz” for the movie, and die-hard fans of the video games will see the movie regardless, but… I don’t know, it’s not like Hollywood lacks Italian-American actors? There were easier ways to cast this.
Pratt and the director recently spoke to THR about why Pratt isn’t doing the famous Italian accent for Mario. Their reason: because Mario is from Brooklyn. It never occurred to them that Mario could be an Italian immigrant living in Brooklyn?? Pratt also claims he was “nervous” about taking the voice work and he worried he would screw it up. Pratt also said “I think the movie is fantastic and I think your childhood is firmly intact.” Surely that’s the end of the conversation about his voice work, right? Nope. There are literally dozens of other interviews where it’s the FIRST thing he’s asked.
Chris Pratt has a message for those upset about his lack of an Italian accent in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie. In a recent interview with Extra, the man behind the movie’s titular role encouraged fans of the franchise to “go watch the movie, and then we can talk.”
“I really think that once you see the movie…,” Pratt, 43, said before changing his thought. “And you know what, in all honestly, I think you probably need to watch it twice.” As Pratt now explains, he knows the Super Mario/Nintendo universe has a “passionate fanbase.”
“I understand, I’m part of it,” he told Extra. “This is the soundtrack to your youth. You don’t want someone to come along and cynically kind of destroy it as a cash-grab with the movie. I fully understand that. You do not want that to happen. There were so many hearts and souls in mind dedicated to making sure that didn’t happen.”
Pratt continued, adding that the film — based on the franchise that launched with the 1983 arcade classic Mario Bros. and later the 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario Bros. — “honors the world of Mario.”
So his big message is: go see the movie twice and then we’ll talk? Pass. I guess everyone’s going to be talking about his dumb voice for the next month though.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
Special Screening Of Universal Pictures, Nintendo And Illumination Entertainment’s ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ held at the Regal Cinemas LA Live & 4DX Movie. Featuring: Chris Pratt, Katherine Schwarzenegger Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 01 Apr 2023 Credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
Special Screening Of Universal Pictures, Nintendo And Illumination Entertainment’s ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ held at the Regal Cinemas LA Live & 4DX Movie. Featuring: Chris Pratt, Katherine Schwarzenegger Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 01 Apr 2023 Credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
Special Screening Of Universal Pictures, Nintendo And Illumination Entertainment’s ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ held at the Regal Cinemas LA Live & 4DX Movie. Featuring: Chris Pratt Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 01 Apr 2023 Credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWlhaIV2e8KhqaKrj6W%2FosDTmKanl5OntrW1wqKqpquPpLOgtMislqaZop68oMLOopqel6CavLG4xJiqoaelobGgv8Selq2glZS6sMLInpatr5mYsnA%3D