Charles Martinet, the longtime voice of Nintendo's Mario, revealed he auditioned for the role without knowing about the character or the company. He created the iconic voice on the spot during a casual improvisation. Martinet shared these details in a recent interview, reflecting on his nearly 30-year tenure.
Charles Martinet has shared insights into how he originated the voice for Nintendo's beloved plumber, Mario, during an audition decades ago.
In 2023, Nintendo announced that Martinet would step down as Mario's English voice actor after almost 30 years, with Kevin Afghani taking over the role starting with Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Martinet transitioned to the position of Mario Ambassador.
Recalling the audition, Martinet explained that he had no prior knowledge of Nintendo or video games. "I was simply told to start talking, and when you run out of things to say, that's your audition," he told GamingBible. He deliberately avoided portraying a gruff, stereotypical Italian plumber, opting instead for a silly and fun approach to appeal to children. "I didn't want to do an Italian plumber sounding gruff, mean and nasty or scary to children, like a Mafia member," Martinet said. "I have a principle of comedy of always being kind. I thought to myself that I'll do something much more silly and fun. I didn't know anything about video games, so I just made things up about food and started talking."
Martinet described the experience as enjoyable and credited it with launching his iconic legacy. He expressed deep gratitude for the joy his performance brought to fans across generations. "Being able to bring that joy into children's and adults' lives has been a tremendous honour for me," he added. Fans often share stories of playing Mario games with family members, which fills him with indescribable happiness.
Beyond games, Martinet voiced Mario and Luigi's father in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, delivering the line "That's my boys!" in heartfelt scenes.
