Chris Pratt

"I think that’s why they wanted me to voice the character of Mario. You can take the kid out of Lake Stevens, but you can’t take Lake Stevens out of the kid. That sensibility has really helped me when I’ve been playing these blue-collar heroes."

- Chris Pratt

 (born June 21, 1979 in Virginia, Minnesota) is an American actor prominently starring in both television and Hollywood films. His most well-known roles include in the, Owen Grady in the ' trilogy, and  in ', and he has provided voice work for  in ' and its 2019  (alongside Charlie Day) and Barley Lightfoot in ’s 2020 film '. 2014 is often cited as the turning point when Pratt became a leading actor in the American film industry.

Casting as Mario
In 2021, Pratt was revealed as the voice actor of Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie co-produced by Illumination and scheduled for release in 2023, with Mario's regular actor Charles Martinet appearing in unknown cameo appearances. After the announcement, Pratt stated that voicing Mario had been his childhood wish; in an Instagram video, he relates that he once stole a quarter from a wishing well in order to play a Mario arcade game at a nearby coin-operated laundromat, which he believes had an influence on his wish coming true.

During a phone interview, Pratt mentions his childhood upbringing, as well as his time as a family man, that brought him to the role of Mario, and noticing the similarities between him and the character with the "blue-collar American experience".