Mario’s Legendary Voice Actor Admits He Winged His Audition by Talking About Food
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It’s undeniable that the legendary voice actor Charles Martinet played a crucial role in making Nintendo’s iconic plumber a beloved figure. Interestingly, during his initial audition, he “didn’t know anything about video games,” so he took a unique approach and “made things up about food.”
In a recent interview, Martinet shared that he “crashed an audition” without any prior knowledge of the character or Nintendo. He recalled, “I was simply told to start talking, and when you run out of things to say, that’s your audition.” No pressure, right?
Despite being unsure if there would be kids in the audience, Martinet aimed to avoid portraying an Italian plumber as gruff or scary, stating, “I have a principle of comedy of always being kind.” This led to the “much more silly and fun” version of Mario’s voice that fans adore today. “I didn’t know anything about video games, so I just made things up about food and started talking,” he admitted. And it clearly paid off.
If you’re curious about how that audition unfolded, it aligns with Martinet’s previous recounting in an interview with Retro Gamer, where he mentioned starting with, “‘Hello, I’m-a-Mario, let’s make a pizza pie together. You get some sausage, I will get some spaghetti. And then I chase you with the pizza, and if I catch you with the pizza, you gotta eat de pizza.'” He went on to talk about lasagna and “every pasta I have ever heard of,” eventually “making pasta up” until he was told to “stop talking” because they had run out of tape. He certainly made a lasting impression.
In the latest interview, Martinet reflected on how, after landing the role, he “began to do more things with Mario, and I cemented the idea that he’s going to be optimistic, loving, respectful, and comedic. Mario has a positive impact on children, and I think that’s the essence of his character.”
Although Martinet has now stepped back from voicing Mario, with Kevin Afghani taking over since Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the veteran actor expressed that “being able to bring that joy into children’s and adults’ lives has been a tremendous honor.”
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Mario’s new voice actor has “unbelievable respect” for the 32-year icon Charles Martinet: “Look, Charles, as far as I’m concerned, IS Mario.”
