Chris Pratt Reacts To Backlash About Him Voicing Mario In The Upcoming Film
Actor Chris Pratt voices Mario in the upcoming The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and his original casting announcement was met with a level of consternation among a portion of the Mario fanbase. Some thought that Charles Martinet, who voices Mario in the games, should have voiced him in the film. Others took issue with how Pratt is not Italian. Speaking to i09, Pratt said he «totally» understands why people were upset. It stems from the love fans have for the Mario series, he said.
«There's a passionate fan base and I'm one of the fans. I get it. Mostly, people don't want something like this to get screwed up. They're precious about it. They're careful. And I'm grateful for that,» Pratt said.
The head of animation studio Illumination, Chris Meledandri, previously defended Pratt, saying the criticism of Pratt's Mario voice would «evaporate» after fans heard it for the first time, but «maybe not entirely.»
«People love to voice opinions, as they should,» he said. Meledandri, who is also a producer on the film, said he doesn't believe that Pratt's lack of Italian heritage is an issue. «I think we're going to be just fine,» he said.
In the i09 interview, Luigi actor Charlie Day said fans are extremely protective of the Mario series because it holds such a special place in their hearts.
«It is a place to escape to. So people would go, after maybe having a tough day at school or in your work life, whatever it is, you put on Super Mario Bros., you play for an hour and you just disappear into that land and that world,» Day said. «So in many ways, the game had taken care of people, I think, in a way that they don’t want the franchise messed up at all. So I think they'll be really happy when they see the movie two, three, maybe four
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