Chris Pratt’s recent appearance on BBC’s The One Show turned out to be a rather unexpected success. The actor finally busted out a satisfying “it’s-a me, let’s go!” in the classic Italian accent as opposed to his usual Brooklyn rendition of the famous line, proving once and for all that yes, Pratt can actually do aMariovoice. Pratt of course plays the character inThe Super Mario Bros. Moviewhich is currently set to release on June 20, 2025.

When trailers for the movie started dropping, fans were initially disappointed with Pratt’s portrayal of Mario, as it didn’t sound much like the voice acting done by Charles Martinet. Players have grown so used to hearing this version of the character over the years that anything but a proper Italian accent sounds like an assault on the senses. Pratt’s portrayal on The One Show doesn’t quite sound like Martinet’s “wahoo,” but it’s definitely close enough, at least for me.

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Pratt originally promised everyone that his acting would be “unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before,” something which raised the expectations of countless fans. Hearing a strong Brooklyn accent in the trailers, on the other hand, came as a shock to many of them, including myself. I admit to being slightly disappointed, particularly because the rest of the voice acting was practically spot on. Jack Black as Bowser and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong were particularly praised, while Charlie Day’s voice of Luigi has not been scrutinised as much as Pratt’s.

I’m sure that choosing a Brooklyn accent for the character was part of a long decision making process, ultimately deciding to follow the ’90s cartoons rather than the game. The fact that Pratt can do a great Mario voice proves the point, but like so many other fans, I’d think I’d still rather hear the familiar Italian accent if given the choice.

The directors on The Super Mario Bros. Movie Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic have beencountering this kind of criticism for months, jumping for example to Pratt’s defense earlier this year, explaining that “for us, it made total sense. He’s really good at playing a blue-collar hero with a ton of heart. For the way that Mario is characterized in our film, he’s perfect for it." I guess we’ll see when the movie is finally released next month.

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