As the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto has been a key driver in bringing the character back to the big screen. So, winning his favor was very important to Mario voice star Chris Pratt, who tells GamesRadar+ exclusively about being chosen for the part and his relationship with Miyamoto.
"I got to spend time with Miyamoto," Pratt explains. "I’d met him before backstage of a talk show that we were both doing years ago, and I don't know if that was part of the reason why he wanted me to be cast as Mario. Then I met him again at the opening of Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios in Hollywood. He's such a big kid at heart, he's so energetic and enthusiastic and has this big smile on his face. He was wearing a graphic Mario t-shirt and he was there introducing his world that he created to the West into the world. It's just wild."
Pratt’s co-star Charlie Day, who voices Luigi in the new movie, says he hasn’t had the chance to meet him yet but is in awe of his work. "What a thing to be him and have created all these characters, these worlds, and these games," he adds. "And radically changed so many people's lives."
