John Leguizamo, the actor who played the “Luigi” in the 1993 Super Mario Bros live action movie, has announced his intention to boycott “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” because he believes there is a lack of diversity in casting.
In response to a question about whether he would watch the movie, Leguizamo emphatically stated “Hell no!” He went on to express his disappointment that the movie did not include any Latin characters, despite his groundbreaking role in the original film. According to him, the lack of progress in representation is a step backward.
“They messed up the inclusion,” he added. “They dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk! We’re 20 percent of the population. The largest people of color group and we are underrepresented.”
The latest “Mario Bros” film, currently playing in theaters, stars Chris Pratt and Charlie Day in the leading voice roles of Mario and Luigi. Leguizamo originally played Luigi in the live-action format in the 1993 “Super Mario Bros” alongside Bob Hoskins, who portrayed Mario.
“John Leguizamo is a one-man inclusion warrior,” said Christian Toto, conservative film critic and host of the “Hollywood in Toto” podcast. “He gets plenty of press and zero criticism.”
“The original film, a dud by most measures, featured a British actor as Mario – Bob Hoskins – and the main characters are Italian, not Hispanic,” Toto said. “Now, he’s talking about an animated film where anyone from any background can play any of the characters. Yes, Hollywood has done a lousy job of being open to people from all backgrounds in the past, but the industry has taken great strides to address that issue.”
“This isn’t part of that otherwise noble fight,” he added. “Plus, the actor’s criticisms are being drowned out by the sound of box office registers clanging. The new film looks to be a blockbuster according to early results.”
“So glad #SuperMarioBros is getting a reboot! Obviously, it’s iconic enuff,” he wrote on Twitter. “But too bad they went all white! No Latinx in the leads! Groundbreaking color-blind casting in original! Plus I’m the only one who knows how to make this movie work script-wise!”
He posted three screenshots of himself as Luigi and Hoskins, as Mario, with the caption: “Apologize to this movie right now!”
In November, Leguizamo expressed to IndieWire his opinion that it was “backwards” to have two white actors playing the roles of Mario and Luigi.
When asked about his thoughts on the reboot, the actor, who referred to himself as “O.G.”, stated, “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.”
Leguizamo went on to explain that the original film’s directors, Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, had to fight for him to play the lead role as a Latin man because the studio did not want him to. He saw this as a breakthrough at the time. However, for the new film to not cast another actor of color was a regression in his view. “They fought really hard, and it was such a breakthrough. For them to go backwards and not cast another [actor of color] kind of sucks,” he said.
Anya Taylor-Joy, who provided the voice of Princess Peach, has Argentine heritage and spent a significant portion of her childhood in the country. Despite this, Leguizamo’s concern appears to be centered around the main characters, Mario and Luigi, and what he see’s as their lack of representation and inclusivity.
The Mario Bros. movie globally, raked in $66.4 million on opening day. The 1993 version made $8,532,623 and had a budget of $48,000,000. Overall the 1993 Mario movie made a total of $16,911,711 after the 3rd weekend.
Super Mario Bros. 1993 trailer:
The former Mario bros the movie from 1993 wasn’t a blockbuster movie but has a niche fanbase that still love it. However this new installment has John quite angry. Most likely because he wasn’t asked to be in it
Super Mario Bros. 2023 trailer: