'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' directors defend casting Chris Pratt as Mario

Chris Pratt’s selection for the role of Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been the subject of debate from the moment it was announced.

While the choice of Chris Pratt for the role of an Italian plumber left fans baffled, it does not concern the film’s directors. Jelenic and Aaron Horvath told Total Film magazine that casting Pratt made sense given the Mario at the center of their story.

Pratt is not Italian, after all, and many fans were left baffled when the movie’s first trailer dropped last October and revealed Pratt’s Brooklyn-heavy Mario voice. It’s not a concern for the film’s directors, Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath. The filmmakers told Total Film magazine that casting Pratt made sense given the Mario at the center of their story.

“It’s a bit of an origin tale. It’s the story of Mario becoming Super Mario,” Horvath said about the film, adding that finding the perfect Mario voice meant finding an actor who could believably portray a plumber from Brooklyn who is “a blue-collar guy from a family of Italian immigrants.”

“For us, it made total sense,” the director insisted.

“He’s really good at playing a blue-collar hero with a ton of heart. For the way that Mario is characterised in our film, he’s perfect for it.”

Pratt told Variety last year that the actor worked closely with the directors to find the perfect voice for the character.

“I tried out a few things and landed on something that I’m really proud of and can’t wait for people to see and hear,” Pratt added.

“It’s an animated voice-over narrative. It’s not a live-action movie. I’m not gonna be wearing a plumber suit running all over. I’m providing a voice for an animated character, and it is updated and unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.”

The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens in theatres April 5, 2023.