Super Mario Movie Actor Auditioned for Mario Before Taking Different Role

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo's mustachioed mascot is voiced by actor Chris Pratt. When the film opens, it's revealed that Mario was a construction worker before quitting his job to open up a plumbing business with brother Luigi. This causes a bit of friction with his former boss Spike, who is voiced by comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. However, it seems Maniscalco originally auditioned to play Mario before taking on the role! In an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark, the comedian revealed that he went in doing a voice closer to the one used by Charles Martinet in the video games.

"Everybody was like, 'How come they didn't cast an Italian American for the role?' So I read for Mario, and I went in there and I did the whole, 'It's a'me, Mario!' And then they said, 'We're gonna give you Spike.' Apparently that didn't work out. It was great to be part of that movie, the thing's a juggernaut, and Chris did a great job."

Maniscalco's role in the film is actually the first one that was revealed, long before anyone knew about Pratt playing Mario. The comedian revealed his role during an August 2021 appearance on Bert Kreischer's Bertcast podcast. It wasn't until almost two months later that Nintendo revealed the main actors in the film, including Pratt, Charlie Day, Jack Black, and Anya-Taylor Joy.

For those unfamiliar with Spike, the character first appeared in the NES game Wrecking Crew. Spike's name in the Japanese version of the game was "Blackie" but Nintendo recently changed the name in the region. The name officially made its debut in Japan with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Nintendo did not give an official reason for the change, though there was some speculation that it might have been altered to avoid any potential connotation with a racist slur. Whatever the reason, the character now goes by Spike worldwide!

Are you surprised to hear that Maniscalco auditioned for the role of Mario? What did you think of his performance in the movie? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Nintendo Everything]