GameSpy.com recently interviewed the famed voice of Mario, Nintendo's most popular and recognisable videogame character.
In case you didn't know, Martinet also does the voices of Wario, WaLuigi, Luigi, and many other Nintendo stars! Check out the interview yourself:
The Voice of Mario
Actor Charles Martinet talks about what it's like to be the voice of the most famous plumber in the world.
GameSpy: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your career as an actor?
Charles Martinet: I was born in San Jose, CA, and moved with my family to Barcelona, Spain, when I was 12, then to Paris, France, and back to the San Francisco Bay Area. I started acting when I was 20. I had originally intended to follow my friends and become a lawyer, but decided that wasn't for me. Another friend of mine said, "Come take an acting class from me." I was terrified of standing in front of an audience, but took the class anyway.
Then, in my very first monologue ... I got bitten by ... the ACTING BUG! I loved it! Then a local theatre company came and auditioned for their apprenticeship program, and they chose me! I was in the theatre! "Hie diddle de dee," an actor's life for me! My wonderful parents sent me to England to study to be an actor, which was amazing! Living, breathing, eating, sleeping acting! I came back to the Bay Area, and started my career.
I worked in the theatre doing 75 plays over nine years, and then started doing video and voice work, trade shows, radio and TV ads, and of course, auditioning for every film and television part that came to town. Movies: Some of my favorite parts were playing Arnie the Dinosaur in the movie Nine Months, with Hugh Grant, and playing Michael Douglas' father in The Game. Television: I've played parts in several episodes of Nash Bridges and Midnight Caller, and shot a few pilots that haven't gone big time. Voice-Overs: I love doing the voice of the Cat in The Cat in the Hat, and Yertle the Turtle for software games, and I've done 25 cartoons, over a hundred video games, and voices in over a hundred toys! I've done TV and radio promos and tags and radio spots too. I am doing an animation project right now ... but my favorite thing is to play Mario! WooHoo!
Acting is pure fun for me, and I believe that if you do what you love in life, you'll be successful, happy, creative, and have FUN. Well, at least, you'll have FUN! And I have been really lucky because my family and friends have supported me in following my dream! Imagine, I get to do what I love and get paid for doing it!
GameSpy: How did you land the gig of becoming the voice of Mario?
Charles Martinet: Almost 12 years ago ... EEK! Time flies!!!!... I crashed an audition! A friend of mine called me and said "there's an audition to play a plumber in a trade show. You should go!" I had never crashed an audition in my life! But I did this time. I went to the audition, and they had already wrapped and were going home.
Then, Producer Ralph Miller asked,, "Who are you?" I told him I was so and so's friend and he said, "Well, OK. We are creating a real-time animation system, "Mario In Real Time" (MIRT). You'll be playing the part of an Italian plumber from Brooklyn, named Mario. You'll be hooked up to a supercomputer that tracks your facial movements and you'll be controlling where he is onscreen. The audience will see the cartoon character Mario, but not see you, and you'll be able to see them and talk to them via a hidden camera and microphone. (Pay no attention to that man in the booth!) You'll be talking with lots of people all day long, so you should be amusing and not run out of things to say."
Well, I had never seen Mario before, and the only video games I had ever played were Pong and PacMan. OK, and Space Invaders. Ralph said "Mario has never had a voice, so you make up whatever you want. I'll start the camera. You make up a video game, or whatever, and talk until you run out of things to say, and then I'll shut the camera off..."
I thought...QUICK! Plumber...Brooklyn...and started hearing a Brooklyn accent in my mind, "hey, how's it goin?" No, try Italian ... Mama Mia! Yeah! Put in a little falsetto for fun...
[I have a principle that comedy shouldn't hurt, and that whenever I make people laugh it will not be at their expense, so I try to create voices for characters that are nice and non-threatening. I decided right there that Mario's voice should be sweet and loving. He was the type of person that would always have fun with life. That he would be happy, even when things were tough.]
"Action!" Gulp! I didn't think I was ready, but it just came out of me ... exactly what you hear today... "Hello, its'a me, Mario...weeheee! Letsa hava fun!" and I started making up this game. I don't know where it came from ...."Okey dokey, let's you and a me make a da pizza pie! Mama Mia! You go geta the pepperoni, and Im'a geta the bella pepper, and then you geta the spaghetti and we put ita right ona da pizza, and then I'ma geta the ravioli and we put ita here! Wee Hee...this isa fun!!! ... I'ma can't wait to eata da pizza! Yum yum yum! Oh! Don'ta forgeta de musharoomies, Ima lova da musharoomies! Mama mia lova the olives, and Papa, he lova da onion! ...this isa gonna be the besta pizza pie ever! ..."
I kept talking and talking until the tape ran out!
I think Ralph was a little surprised. He told me later that he called the boss at Nintendo, who had had the idea to create Mario In Real Time. Ralph told him "I got our Mario," and he sent my tape up to Redmond! I think mine was the only tape he sent. The next thing I knew I was getting fit for headgear at Simgraphics Engineering in California, gluing things to my face, testing sensors, throwing switches, and when Ralph said, "Try talking now," I moved my mouth, and this incredible character moved his mouth at the same time and said, "Hello, itsa me, Mario! I'ma so happy to be here, talking with alla my friendses!"... Mama Mia! It was awesome! Mario In Real Time!
---
There was more to this interview, but it was just too lengthy to post in one topic.
