Why is John Leguizamo not feeling The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023)? He’s taken it to heart.
The veteran actor has recently become quite vocal about the dearth of Latino representation in the industry. He told Insider that he finds it frustrating that major movie company executives frequently pass Latin performers by.
Some fans might recall that Leguizamo played Luigi alongside Bob Hoskins’ Mario in the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros film. Although the movie initially bombed, it has now gained cult status.
However, the Empire trouper is not enthusiastic about The Super Mario Bros Movie, Universal and Illumination’s upcoming animated adaptation of the series.
Leguizamo told TMZ that he won’t be watching the Super Mario Bros Movie because of its lack of representation after posing for pictures with fans on the street.
John Leguizamo Drags The Super Mario Bros Movie — Why?
“No, I will not be watching,” Leguizamo asserted. “They could’ve included a Latin character. I was groundbreaking and they stopped the groundbreaking.”
The To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar star blasted the casting decisions made by the producers, expressing, “They messed up. They messed up the inclusion, they disincluded.”
Leguizamo continued by pointing out that although a sizable portion of the population, Latinos are frequently underrepresented on television and in films.
“Just cast the Latin folk. Latin folks, we’re 20% of the population, the largest people of color group and we’re underrepresented. Overrepresented in the worst kind of jobs though,” the actor added.
Chris Pratt was initially criticized by fans for being chosen to voice Mario in the film; many cited the fact that he is an American portraying an Italian plumber. Recently, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor claimed that he “totally” understands the negative reaction and that “people don’t want something like this to get screwed up.”
When Leguizamo was asked about watching “The Super Mario Bros Movie” a second time in the TMZ video, he responded in a straightforward manner: “Hell no!”
Do you feel John Leguizamo has a point regarding The Super Mario Bros Movie? Comment below!
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