Actor John Leguizamo, who played Luigi in the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros., has stated that he will not be watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie because “they messed up the inclusion.”
In an interview with TMZ, Leguizamo expressed his frustration with the lack of Latin representation in the movie, stating:
“They could’ve included a Latin character like I was groundbreaking, and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk! We’re 20% of the population. The largest people of color group, and we are underrepresented.” Leguizamo said
This isn’t the first time that Leguizamo has spoken out about the casting. Last November, Leguizamo shared his thoughts on Mario and Luigi not being voiced by a person of color.
“I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original. I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original,'” Leguizamo said during the premiere of The Menu. “They’re not feeling the new one. I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.”
Leguizamo went on to explain that Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, the original film’s directors, fought for him to be a lead in the movie because he wasn’t what the studio was looking for. “I was a Latin man, and [the studio] didn’t want me to be the lead. They fought really hard, and it was such a breakthrough. For them to go backwards and not cast another [actor of color] kind of sucks.”
It’s also worth mentioning that The Super Mario Bros. Movie does include people of color, such as Keegan Michael-Key as Toad, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, and more.
For more news on The Super Mario Bros. Movie, check out our review where Phil Owen wrote, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie never feels reverent of the Mario IP, but it’s also never disrespectful. It’s a spot that might not have worked if the film weren’t so well put together–fortunately for us, though, The Super Mario Bros. could end up being one of the best big-budget action flicks of the year.”
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