Former Mario actor Charles Martinet is "more Luigi" in real life, but still thinks the iconic Nintendo mascot is "the most wonderful human being ever"

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Presumably, contractually, he isn't allowed to say Wario is his favorite because he's too sexy

Mario & Luigi: Brothership trailer still
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Mario's original voice actor, Charles Martinet, says the red plumber is his favourite character, even if he's a little more Luigi.

Charles Martinet voiced Mario from Super Mario 64 in 1996 all the way until 2022's Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (well, technically, he started from Mario Teaches Typing in 1995, but that's not canon). But alongside the icon, he also voiced all of the other characters who wear overalls, with Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi falling under his domain. The roles were taken over by Kevin Afghani starting with 2023's Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but Martinet has stayed on as a brand ambassador for the series, including answering questions on the Nintendo Today app.

In the second of the "40 questions for Charles Martinet" series from an interview at Nintendo Live in Tokyo, Martinet answered some questions (shocker given the title, I know). One of which was which Mario character was the most fun to voice for Martinet, to which he responded, "Mario, Mario, and Mario. I love this character. To me, he's the most wonderful human being ever."

But despite Mario being his favourite child, Martinet reckons he has more in common with his cowardly green-clad brother Luigi, saying, "I am more Luigi, you know, I have to say, my brother was the courageous type." He recalls, "You know, mom and dad would leave us with a babysitter, my brother would just walk straight out the door. For me, I was always, 'Oh, wait a minute. Are you sure we should go outside?' So, I'm a lot more Luigi, but I always admire Mario."

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Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
Contributor

Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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