John Leguizamo Slams ‘Unfortunate’ Casting of Chris Pratt in ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie,’ Calls It ‘Backwards’
usmagazine.comJohn Leguizamo addressed Chris Pratt‘s controversial casting in Nintendo’s upcoming Super Mario Bros.
Movie — and the comedian, who portrayed Luigi in the 1993 live-action film, wasn’t thrilled following his “breakthrough” representation in the franchise.“The directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton fought really hard for me to be the lead because 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,” Leguizamo, 62, explained to IndieWire on Tuesday, November 15.According to the Menu star, having Pratt, 43, take on the role of Mario felt like a step in the wrong direction. “For them to go backwards and not cast another [actor of color] kind of sucks,” he continued. “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.’ They’re not feeling the new one.
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