Home > Feature Articles > #202

Screenshots

Sliced Gaming Feature: Voice Of A Generation

Writer: xick Milligan
Posted: 9th October 2009, 4:34pm

As part of of our ongoing syndication with Reverb Magazine, we're delighted to present Nick Milligan's interview with the man with one of the most recognisable voices on the planet - Charles Martinet.

 

Nick Milligan: How many personalised answering machine messages do you think you’ve recorded for fans over the years?

Charles Martinet: Maybe 500 or so (laughs). It’s a lot of fun. (In Mario’s voice) Hello to all of my friends at Reverb – you’re number one! Woohoo!

NM: Did you have an appreciation for video games before becoming the voice of Mario?

CM: I didn’t, because I’d really only played Pong, Space Invaders and Tank. That was during my college years. Back in those days the game systems were pretty unsophisticated. So we played obsessively, and then we were done. I didn’t know who Mario was when I auditioned for the role and I didn’t really know what I was auditioning for. It was a real treat when I found out it was for a real-time animation system (known as ‘Mario In Real-Time’), that we’ve now been using for 20 years. We take it to trade shows and entertain children – it’s a real joy.

NM: Was it daunting when you started appearing publicly as the voice of Mario?

CM: No, it’s all fun for me. It’s such an honour to be appreciated for doing Mario’s voice. What I do is such a small part of the game. From the genius of Mr. (Shigeru) Miyamoto, right through to his creative team and all the way to the testers and designers and animators – I just get to go out and say to people (in Mario voice), “It’s a me, Mario!”

NM: How has Mario’s character evolved since you first did his voice in Mario’s FUNdamentals and 1996’s Super Mario 64?

CM: I think the core personality of Mario will always be there. He’s an every man – a plumber who falls in love with a Princess, and faces adversity with a (in Mario voice), “Wohoo! Let’s a go!” attitude. Those things will always remain the same. Now that the Wii Fit is out there he’s losing a little weight. But aside from that, the core values of the character remain constant.

NM: How much creative input do Nintendo allow you as an actor?

CM: That’s a good question – I’ve worked in Japan and I’ve worked in Seattle. Sometimes directors know exactly what they want from a character. Like they’ll want Luigi to be exactly like this (makes Luigi’s anguished whine) in Smash Brothers Brawl. But afterwards, when we’re applying the scripted voice-overs to the animation, there is also time for improvisation, which I am very appreciative of.

NM: The character of Wario was a great invention in 1992, for the Gameboy’s Super Mario Land 2. Is it fun to voice an evil version of Mario?

CM: Absolutely a joy. Each one of the characters is an exaggerated version of certain aspects of Mario’s personality. Waluigi is entitled and (in Waluigi voice) "full of self-pity". Wario is (in Wario’s voice) ...

(continued next page)