Sebastian Maniscalco Says He Auditioned For Mario In The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Chris Pratt is the voice of Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but comedian Sebastian Maniscalco says he auditioned for the role before getting Spike. Maniscalco, who stars in the comedy About My Father that opened this past weekend, appeared on Live with Kelly and Mark and noted that he auditioned for the lead role before he was cast as Mario and Luigi’s ex-boss in the Illumination and Nintendo animated movie.

“Everybody was like, ‘How come they didn’t cast an Italian American for the role?'” Maniscalco said (per JoBlo). “So I read for Mario, and I went in there and I did the whole, ‘It’s a’me, Mario!’ And then they said, ‘We’re gonna give you Spike.’ Apparently that didn’t work out. It was great to be part of that movie, the thing’s a juggernaut, and Chris did a great job.”

The film has been a massive hit for the studios with $560.9 million domestically so far and $1.288 billion worldwide against a $100 million budget.