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.”