Seth Rogen has one of the most distinctive voices in Hollywood. It's hard to see him altering it in any shape or form, which he was candid about when cast to voice Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Before he voiced Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, he told the filmmakers beforehand that he would not alter his voice while reading his lines as Mario's former enemy-turned-ally. Rogen believed that having him do his normal voice adds to the comedy and, more specifically, his character dynamic with Mario.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Rogen said from the start that he won't sound like Donkey Kong, but vice versa. "I was very clear, I don't do voices. And if you want me to be in this movie, it's gonna sound like me and that's it," Rogen told them. "And that was the beginning and end of that conversation. I was like, 'If you want Donkey Kong to sound a lot like me, I'm your guy.' But it did seem to work, you know, I think in the film and in the game, I think all you really know about Donkey Kong is that he throws barrels, and he does not like Mario very much."
Rogen added that having him be himself added to the lore of their character dynamics. "That's honestly kind of what I ran with was this idea that he hates Mario, that they are kind have like an adversarial relationship, that he's annoyed by him, that he doesn't want to be stuck with him, that he wishes he was on this adventure without him," he said. "To me, that was, that was funny and that was kind of the root of the character, and it was kind of born of the mythology of the games."
Rogen has done plenty of voice acting throughout his career, having lent his voice to movies, television shows, and franchises like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, The Lion King, Chip n' Dale: Rescue Rangers, and Invincible. None of those properties demanded much from Rogen besides just using his normal voice, so it's no surprise that he abstained from changing it while voicing Donkey Kong. Casting Rogen, among the others who were cast, indicated that this upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie will primarily be a comedy since he is known best for his comedic work in animation and live-action. Not to mention, Donkey Kong is an ape whose character hasn't required much voice acting since his original creation over forty years ago, so it's not like there would have been a huge demand for Rogen's voice to adapt to such a role.
Though Super Mario is a family-friendly video game franchise, it usually hasn't been one to lean on comedy. However, with cinematic adaptations, you must choose a tone, so comedy and adventure make sense for this story. Along with Rogen, the movie also has the voice talents of Chris Pratt as Mario, Jack Black as Bowser, and Charlie Day as Luigi, so if their intent was comedy from the start, they got actors who were up for the task.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie will premiere in theaters on April 5, 2022.
Source: ComicBook.com
