Chris Pratt drew a lot of flack for his voice in The Super Mario Bros. Movie but he is having none of it. Pratt wants skeptical fans to check out the movie first before they get the pitchforks out.
In an interview with ExtraTV, Pratt addresses the criticism of the Brooklyn accent he gave Mario. According to the actor, fans should watch the movie first before "we can talk." However, Pratt adds where the criticism from fans is coming from.
"You know, come watch the movie," Pratt said. "Go watch the movie, and then we can talk. I really think that once you’ve seen the movie – you know what, in all honesty, I think you probably need to watch it twice. In all honesty, the answer, though, is that this is a passionate fanbase and it makes sense. I understand, I’m part of it."
He adds, "This is the soundtrack to your youth. You don’t want someone to come along and cynically destroy it as a cash grab with a movie. I fully understand that, you do not want that to happen, and there are so many hearts and souls and minds dedicated to making sure that didn’t happen."
Chris Pratt reacts to criticism of voice accents in #SuperMarioMovie: "Go watch the movie and then we can talk." Full interview: https://t.co/p2LDxJcOmf pic.twitter.com/BhMZSsSHZC
— ExtraTV (@extratv) March 27, 2023
Pratt’s co-star Seth Rogen has been much more open about criticism of his voice acting in the movie. The comedian voices Donkey Kong in the upcoming film.
Sitting down with Comicbook.com, Rogen said, "I was very clear, I don’t do voices. And if you want me to be in this movie, it’s gonna sound like me and that’s it. And that was the beginning and end of that conversation."
The actor adds, "I was like, ‘if you want Donkey Kong to sound a lot like me, I’m your guy’. But it did seem to work, you know. I think in the film and in the game I think all you really know about Donkey Kong is that he throws barrels, and he does not like Mario very much."
"That’s honestly kind of what I ran with – this idea that he hates Mario, that they have an adversarial relationship, that he’s annoyed by him, that he doesn’t want to be stuck with him, that he wishes he was on this adventure without him. To me that was funny and that was kind of the root of the character, and it was born out of the mythology of the games," Rogen stated.
Nevertheless, both Pratt and Rogen want to see more Mario movies in the future, with Pratt describing it as a potential start of an entire universe of movies. On the other hand, Rogen was a lot more direct in his desire to do a Donkey Kong spin-off.
We'll find out more just how good or bad the film is when The Super Mario Bros. Movie comes to theaters on April 7.
