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Turns Out Another Super Mario Bros. Movie Voice Actor Also Auditioned For Mario
His bubbly take on the beloved video game character was more in line with that of Mario's longtime voice actor: Charles Martinet.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie made for an interesting all-star casting move after Illumination Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Nintendo first announced that blockbuster celebrity Chris Pratt had been cast as the beloved video game plumber.
While Pratt enjoyed household name status thanks to leading roles in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World franchises, some viewers were curious as to how his live-action charisma would translate into Nintendo's mustachioed mascot known for blue overalls, a red cap, and, most importantly, a thick Italian accent. Yes, he already proved himself more than capable of tackling animation work in The LEGO Movie, but could he handle the pressure of playing one of the most well-known characters ever created? (Yes, thankfully, it turned out).
RELATED: No chocolate here: Chris Pratt learns the hard way you can't really eat the 'Mario' gold coins
Actor/comedian Sebastian Maniscalco briefly touched on the subject while appearing as a guest on LIVE with Kelly and Mark to promote his new comedy film: About My Father (now playing in theaters). When asked by co-host Mark Consuelos how he didn't get the titular part, Maniscalco revealed that he actually did audition for Mario by emulating the iconic work done by Charles Martinet in the games.
"Everybody was like, ‘Oh, how come they didn’t cast an Italian American for the role?' So I read for Mario," said the comedian born to Italian immigrant parents. "I went in there and I did the whole, 'ITS-A ME! MARIO!' And then they said, ‘We’re gonna give you Spike.’ Apparently, [my Mario audition] didn’t work out."
Despite only landing a small supporting role as Mario and Luigi's former employer, Maniscalco has no regrets. "It was great to be a part of that movie," he added. "The thing’s a juggernaut and Chris did a great job in the [role]."
Check out his comments in the clip below:
Since its theatrical opening last month, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has made almost $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office. It currently stands as the highest-grossing video game adaptation in history. On the general animation side of the spectrum, Mario holds the rank of third-highest grossing animated feature in history after Frozen II ($1.453 billion) and Frozen ($1.284 billion).
In addition to Pratt and Maniscalco, the impressive cast also features the talents of Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Keegan-Micael Key (Toad), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), Fred Armisen (Cranky Kong), and Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek), and Martinet (he voices a pair of side characters, including the patriarch of the Mario family).
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now playing in theaters and available to rent and/or purchase on digital platforms. We're still waiting for details to boot up on the film's physical media release, as well as its Peacock debut.
Want more Illumination goodness in your life? Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 are now streaming on Peacock.
