Chris Prattis involved in some of the biggest blockbusters of the last decade, whether it’s theJurassic,Lego, orGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise. However, given the abundance of performances we receive from the actor, audiences may be oversaturated with Pratt.
In September of last year, Nintendo announced the cast of an untitledSuper Mariofilm, with Pratt in the lead. Reception to the casting was mixed, with audiences citing the lack of Italian heritage present in the movie. In addition, Mario’s accent and iconic voice go hand-in-hand with the character, and fans wondered whether Pratt would attempt to mimic the video game character or would he give his own interpretation. Audiences also questioned the film’s decision to go with Hollywood A-listers across the board instead of voice actors. Charles Martinet, who voiced both Mario and Luigi since 1992, was an afterthought for the film, despite his success and 30 years of experience with the character.
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However, Illumination founder and CEOChris Meledandri, who’s responsible for theDespicable MeandSingfranchises, recently shared his thoughts and praise for Pratt’s performance as the legendary plumber. During Barcelona’s CineEurope event, Meledandri says he ‘loves’ what Chris Pratt has done with Mario, according to a report fromVariety.
“Chris was cast because we felt he could give a great performance as Mario. And now that we’ve done about 15 recording sessions, and the movie is three-quarters done, I sit here and say that I love his performance as Mario.”
Meledandri isn’t worried about Pratt’s lack of Italian heritage either, claiming his own Italian American heritage allowed him to “make that decision without worrying about offending Italians or Italian Americans.” He continued, “I think we’re gonna be just fine. Especially because (Pratt) he’s given such a strong performance.”
Chris Pratt is No Stranger to Controversy
Pratt and his Hillsong Church have been the subject of controversy for years, stemming from an interview in 2019 onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The actor talked about taking part in a 21-day fast and quoted his pastor saying, “If the spotlight that’s shining on you is brighter than the one within you, it’ll kill you.“Elliot Page then asked Pratt to respondto the institution’s controversy surrounding two Hillsong Church executives making homophobic comments and claiming homosexuality as a sin in 2015. Pratt responded, arguing the Hillsong Church was not anti-LGBTQ+, the church “opens their doors to absolutely everyone,” theMariostar said. Pratt would later distance himself from the church, stating his faith was important to him but didn’t define him or his life.
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Compared to the Hillsong Church discussion, his controversial role inMariomay seem relatively tame. As mentioned earlier, Pratt is accompanied by an all-star cast in the upcoming film from Nintendo and Illumination. The untitledSuper Marioproject will feature Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Charlie Day as Luigi, and Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong. Charles Martinet is confirmed to have a role in the film, although it won’t be voicing any of his iconic characters.
The video game adaptation is expected to hit theaters next spring, on April 7th in North America and April 28th in Japan.
