FACT CHECK: Did Chris Pratt Say This Quote About Playing Mario With A ‘Normal’ Voice?
A viral Instagram post claims actor Chris Pratt said he will play Mario in his “normal voice,” saying, “Mario isn’t Italian anymore. He’s normal now.”
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Verdict: False
There is no record of Pratt saying the quote. The claim comes from a satirical website.
Fact Check:
Nintendo on Sept. 23 announced Pratt would provide the voice for Mario in the upcoming animated movie based on the “Super Mario Bros.” video game franchise. The announcement sparked discussion and jokes online about the “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor’s ability to pull off Mario’s well-known Italian accent.
The Instagram post features a screen grab of a headline that reads: “Actor Chris Pratt has confirmed that he will play the role of Mario in his normal voice, stating ‘Mario isn’t Italian anymore. He’s normal now.'” The post’s caption insists, “He really said this.”
However, Check Your Fact didn’t find any record of Pratt actually making the statement attributed to him in the headline. It does not appear in any of his social media posts, and major news outlets haven’t quoted him as saying it during recent interviews.
The claim comes from an article published on the Daily Squat. The website describes itself as a satirical news site on its “About Us” page, saying, “None of the stories or quotes found within this site should be taken as anything more than an ‘alternative fact’.” Screen grabs of Daily Squat’s satirical headline have been shared on social media without that disclaimer, leading some users to erroneously believe Pratt actually said such a thing.
Pratt shared a video on Instagram Sept. 23 in which he explained how much the role of Mario means to him. In the video, he said he was “working hard” on the voice for Mario and was excited to play the character. (RELATED: Did Jim Carrey Say A 30-Day National Media Shutdown Will Solve The World’s Problems?)
Charlie Day, an actor known for his role in the sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” is set to play Luigi alongside Pratt, CNN reported. The “Super Mario Bros.” movie is currently slated for release in the U.S. in December 2022, according to Newsweek.
