Highlights
- Former Mario voice actor, Charles Martinet, now serves as a Mario brand ambassador but is unsure about the specifics of his new role.
- Martinet reassures fans that he is not retiring from acting, despite stepping away from voicing Mario and other Nintendo characters.
- Fans discovered Martinet's departure earlier than intended when they noticed a difference in Mario's voice in the Super Mario Bros Wonder reveal trailer.
During a recent convention, former Mario voice actor Charles Martinet gets candid when asked about his new role as an Ambassador with Nintendo and what it actually means. It's been a big couple of weeks for Nintendo, as the company recently held a dedicated Super Mario Bros Wonder direct and Treehouse Live session, giving fans a much greater look at the upcoming platformer. Fans got a taste of the story, new gameplay components like Badges, Powerups, and Wonder Flowers, while also seeing more of the game in action.
For many fans though, the most surprising reveal came a couple of weeks prior when it was announced that longtime Nintendo voice actor Charles Martinet was stepping away from his roles of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and many others. While Martinet has been voicing these beloved Nintendo characters for nearly 3 decades, Nintendo revealed that he was instead stepping into a new role as a Mario brand ambassador. However, it doesn't seem as though Martinet is entirely sure as to what exactly that new path entails as of yet.
The revelation came during a recent question and answer panel at Galaxycon after Martinet addressed the news over stepping down as Mario's voice actor and taking on the roll of an ambassador. During the panel, which was posted in full by the YouTube channel Tales from The Collection: Autographs & Fan Mail, Martinet surprisingly admitted that he doesn't actually know what the role means, but is ready to learn. Regardless, he stated that he'll be "ambassading" as he always does for Nintendo and Mario at events and that he cherishes every moment of it.
Martinet also made sure to reiterate that just because he's no longer voicing classic Nintendo characters like Mario doesn't mean he's retiring. Sensing a flood of related questions, he then tried to then steer talk away from his new role, finishing with a joke asking fans not to talk about it for fear of spoilers as he hadn't seen the movie yet. The remaining questions from the moderator and fans focused on his lengthy career in acting, how he got his start on stage, and transitioning to voice acting in particular for his many iconic characters.
While most fans will recognize Martinet as the voice of Mario, he has shown up in other games as well including Gouji Rokkaku in Jet Set Radio Future, Orvus in Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time, as well as the leader of the Greybeards in Skyrim, the dragon known as Paarthurnax. However, it's with Nintendo that Martinet really made a name for himself, so much so, that many fans seemingly uncovered his leaving earlier than Nintendo would have wanted after the reveal trailer for Super Mario Bros. Wonder featured a Mario that sounded a little bit off from what many were expecting.
