Exclusive Interview With Charles Martinet From Super Mario
Image Source: CultureSlate
At GalaxyCon Columbus 2022, I had the chance to speak with Charles Martinet, the incredibly talented voice actor responsible for countless iconic voices, most notably Super Mario. We only got a few questions in, but he gave some really fresh insights into his experience working at Nintendo, and answered some of my fun curiosities.
The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
What are the biggest perks of being the main voice of Nintendo?
Well, the main perk to being the voice of Mario is that it’s a character of love, joy, respect, loyalty, and caring; like the sort of person, I would love most to be in my life and aspire to be more of in my life. You get to do that, create joy, and bring the soul of the character to people, which they love. And they come back at shows like this marvelous GalaxyCon, and they say ‘Oh, you’re the voice of my childhood, I grew up with your games, I played with my grandparents, [and] now I’m playing with my kids.’ So there’s a legacy and a joy and a happiness that’s there for me and that’s a tremendous honor. Truly a tremendous joy for me.
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Image Source: Video Games Chronicle
What’s your relationship like with the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto?
Mr. Miyamoto is an absolutely wonderful man. He’s a terrific guy, and he’s very creative. His whole creative team is absolutely magnificent. The ideas are endless. And it’s very interesting to me that the creativity is what seems to inspire the technology. First, there were single screen games where everything was in one place (like Pac-Man), then there was suddenly a hero, which meant there would be characters, then came sidescrollers that opened new worlds. Those worlds later evolved into three dimensions that let you go even further, and now games have moved off the couch. Each technology is born out of creativity, and I think that’s really impressive.
Do you have any interesting personal stories with Shigeru Miyamoto?
The day that I met him, we were doing a consumer electronics show, and I saw him over in one corner: he looked at me and I looked at him and went ‘Oh hello!’ And we just started talking.
So you were the voice of Mario beforehand?
Yeah. We did five years of real-time animation, and that’s how I got the job: by crashing an audition. 32 years ago.
Could you give us your best Sonic the Hedgehog impression, by chance?
Who is that?
The guy down there, Roger Craig Smith.
No, I’ve never heard of it. Sonic is like a game?
Yeah, the blue hedgehog?
I’ll have to keep my eye open for it.
Below is a full video from my day at GalaxyCon Columbus with this part of the interview starting at 4.51.
Since you voiced a character in Skyrim (the dragon Paarthurnax), do you feel wrong by the Blades’ storyline needing him to die to move forward?
I don’t think he has to die, I think that’s an option. You do not have to kill Paarthurnax. Thank you.
Of all the beaches you’ve vacationed at in your life, which one feels most like the world of Super Mario Sunshine?
Hanalei Bay in Hawaii. That and some beaches like in Costa Rica, with a secluded little quiet area that’s just beautiful, sunshine, and gorgeous sand. You know, in Hanalei Bay, the sun sets on the water, and then sometimes, the moon rises into the night sky, and it’s just amazing. A Hanalei moon.
It was such an honor to talk with the man behind my favorite video game character. He’s an incredibly friendly and wholesome person, and getting the chance to briefly speak with him was truly something special that I’ll cherish forever.
Check out Jeremy’s YouTube Channel for more fun and exclusive content like this.
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