When did John Leguizamo play Luigi? Actor slams Chris Pratt's Mario casting as 'backwards' 

Actor John Leguizamo, who starred as Luigi in the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros., recently opined that the casting for Universal and Illumination’s upcoming animated film The Super Mario Bros. Movie "kind of sucks."

The Emmy award-winning actor called out the lack of diversity in the cast and labeled the decision as being “backwards.”

John Leguizamo played Luigi opposite Bob Hoskins' Mario in Super Mario Bros. In an interview with IndieWire on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, the 62-year-old shared how the 1993 film was a "breakthrough" due to its casting of a Latin man in the lead.

The Encanto actor opened up about directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton's efforts to cast him despite the studio's reluctance.

John Leguizamo told the outlet that “They fought really hard, and it was such a breakthrough. He added:

For [the reboot] to go backwards and not cast another [actor of color] kind of sucks.

Chris Pratt stars as the voice of Mario, with Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad in the animated film.

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John Leguizamo says he's the "OG"

The 1993 film was very poorly received at the time and has since found its way into several 'worst movies ever made' lists. Despite the criticism, it has garnered a following and developed into a cult classic over the years.

The actor told Indiewire that his Comic-Con circuit revealed that a lot of fans love the original and are "not feeling the new one." He said:

"I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original, I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one. I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate."

John Leguizamo first criticized the new film on Twitter in October, writing that while a Mario movie reboot was a good idea, it was "too bad they went all white" despite the "groundbreaking" colorblind casting in the original. He also added that he's the "only one" who knows how to make this script work.

He included three screenshots from the 1993 film, with one of the photos captioned:

"Apologize to this movie right now!"

Not all fans agreed with John Leguizamo, with some questioning why Italian characters would need to be played by non-Italian POC actors.

In 2013, John Leguizamo released a video in honor of the film's 20th anniversary stating that, despite its flaws, he enjoyed working with Bob Hoskins and the other actors. He regarded the film and its crew as pioneers in the video game movie genre.

John Leguizamo admitted in his biography, released in 2006, that he did not enjoy working on the movie but his sentiments have changed in recent years.

Additionally, he said that in retrospect, he is proud of Super Mario Bros. and is grateful that people appreciate and enjoy the movie even after 20 years.

John Leguizamo has long been a supporter of Latin representation in Hollywood, even refusing to attend the 2020 Emmy Awards ceremony because no Latin actors were nominated in acting categories that year.

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Producer Chris Meledandri defends casting choices

Chris Pratt's casting as Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been a source of contention since the cast was announced last year.

Regarding criticism for casting non-Italians in the role, producer Christopher Meledandri commented that he understood the rationale "as an Italian-American," and that Luigi's actor Charlie Day, who actually comes from Italian heritage, is their nod to the Mario brothers' cultural background. He added:

I’m not sure this is the smartest defense, but as a person who has Italian-American heritage, I feel I can make that decision without worrying about offending Italians or Italian-Americans … I think we’re going to be just fine.”

Meledandri also reassured fans that Pratt did an excellent job as the iconic character and that skepticism will evaporate, even if not entirely, once fans hear his voice.

The Guardians of the Galaxy actor had shared that his Mario voice would be unlike anything heard in the Mario world before, but fans were perplexed as Pratt sounded more or less like himself in the trailer.

Pratt had also previously asserted that he's worked really closely with the directors to craft the perfect Mario voice before landing on something he was proud of.

The film is set to be released in theaters on April 7, 2023.