Chris Pratt Reveals Who Is Harder to Voice, Mario or Garfield

As Memorial Day weekend inches closer so does the release of The Garfield Movie which sees Chris Pratt stepping into the role of the lazy and cynical orange tabby cat with a very strong appetite. Ahead of the release of the film, Comicbook caught up with Pratt about his role as Garfield. When asked what voice was harder to pull off between Mario’s iconic Italian accent or Garfield’s lazy demeanor, Pratt noted to Comicbook that it has to be Mario as Garfield is most similar to his own voice. Pratt’s interpretation of the video game character raised eyebrows, creating an incredibly viral moment from the moment the first trailer was released.

“Hah, Probably the latter because Garfield, I don’t do all that much,” Pratt told Comicbook’s Chris Killian. “I’m mostly doing my own, something similar, very similar to my own voice with Garfield or with Mario. We tried a lot of different things before landing on what was ultimately like this, like, sort of subtle, acceptable commercial Italian a accent that, you know, was reminiscent of the video games, but also its own thing and that could sustain a 90 minute story without being annoying. So I think that was probably a little bit more of a challenge. This one, Mark Dindal the director on Garfield said, ‘I just want your voice. I just want you to do your thing. I’ve been hearing your voice come out of this cat for the last two years in my mind and that’s what I want.’”

What is Garfield About?

Based on the iconic Garfield comic strip by Jim Davis, Garfield follows who has an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father, a scruffy street cat named Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson). Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, who draws him into a high-stakes heist. It has already been pulling impressive numbers in the global box office ahead of its U.S. box office debut. The new version comes 20 years after the first iteration which saw Bill Murray take on the voice of the iconic animated feline. Despite reviews, it went on to become a commercial sucess, grossing over $200 million. A sequel was produced just two years later, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties.

From director Mark Dindal (The Emperor’s New Groove, Chicken Little) The Garfield Movie‘s star-studded voice cast also includes Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Cecily Strong, Harvey Guillén, Brett Goldstein, and Bowen Yang. It comes from a screenplay by Paul A. Kaplan and Mark Torgove (Raising Hope) and David Reynolds (Finding Nemo). Producers include John Cohen, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Steven P. Wegner, Craig Sost, Namit Malhotra, and Crosby Clyse.

The Garfield Movie hits theaters on May 24.