As we're getting closer to the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie in theaters, the casting of Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario is still divisive amongst fans as there are still some who are skeptical that the Guardians of the Galaxy actor will be able to pull off the voice role of one of the most iconic video game characters.
The trailers that they released also suggested that Mario's voice in the film is different from the usual that we know as he has more of a New York accent rather than the typical Italian accent that Charles Martinet originated.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Pratt discussed his controversial voice role once again and weighed in on the response that he's been getting. He also promised that our childhood remains "firmly intact" even with the changes in the character's voice.
"It makes sense, I was pretty nervous when they offered it to me. I thought, ‘Wow, let’s not screw this up.' That’s where it all comes from, I think. People are passionate about this character and they’ve probably seen some of their favorite IP getting screwed up. It’s kind of a cynical business," he said.
The actor also compared it to his experience working on The Lego Movie, where he also voiced the main character of the film and its sequel.
He added, "People make movies just because a title has reach. I saw it with The Lego Movie. I was like, ‘How are you going to make a movie about Legos? What is that?’ And then Chris [Miller] and Phil [Lord] made this incredible movie, I was part of it, I loved it. So it’s a big challenge."
"Just because something has reach doesn’t mean it’s going to be a good movie and there’s instances of people making bad movies and ruining people’s childhoods. So the pressure was on to not do that and, thankfully, we didn’t. I think the movie is fantastic and I think your childhood is firmly intact," Pratt concluded.
There is no doubt that Pratt has been doing a lot of damage control in the past few weeks leading up to the film's release. To be fair, even with our skepticism, we do still have to give them the benefit of the doubt and Pratt deserves our chance to hear his take on the character in its full context. It is interesting what the response will be once the film is out in the public.
Also Read: Chris Pratt Defends His Voice Performance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is set to release in North American theaters this Wednesday. You can check more details about it here.
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