Actor John Leguizamo, who starred in 1993’s original “Super Mario Bros.” as “Luigi,” complained that the upcoming animated reboot didn’t cast any “Latinx” actors in lead roles, despite the titular characters being Italian.
“So glad #superMariobros is getting a reboot! Obviously it’s iconic enuff,” he tweeted on Monday. “But too bad they went all white! No Latinx in the leads! Groundbreaking color-blind casting in original! Plus I’m the only one who knows how to make this movie work script wise!”
The 3-D animated update, which will be released in theaters in December of 2022, cast “Jurassic Park’s” Chris Pratt to voice Mario, half-Italian “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” star Charlie Day as Luigi, and Argentina raised actress and Spanish speaker Ana Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach.
Not only was Leguizamo’s gripe about an “all white” cast inaccurate, as Black actors Keegan-Michael Key and Kevin Michael Richardson will voice Toad and Kamek respectively, but he was wrong about no “Latinx” actors being in the top cast. Actor Fred Armisen, who plays Cranky Kong, is half Venezuelan.
Twitter commenters were incensed by his attack on the new “Mario” flick. “Mario and Luigi are Italian. So why are you crying about it?” one replier asked. “Are you afraid that people will forget that mess of a movie you were a part of? Please stop it.”
“They are Italian so why didn’t you step down from the original and let an ACTUAL Italian take the job if you are suddenly so pissy about how the casting is being done…” remarked another.
One user pointed out that Ana Taylor-Joy is actually partially Latina and attached a video of her interviewing in Spanish. “Anna [sic] Taylor [Joy’s] dad is Argentinian and she grew up in Miami. She speaks fluent Spanish.”
Most tweeters went after Leguizamo for using the term “Latinx” which they said was “ignorant” and even “racist.”
“I love you man, and your Luigi rocks, but as a “latino”myself, stop saying “latinx”. It sounds so dumb. Besides, Mario, Luigi and Peach are already defined in the games. No reason to force race into this,” one fan replied. “Having said that, I have no faith in this movie.”
“I’m Latino and saying Latinx is pretty stupid unless you’re trying to sound like an ignorant white person,” said another. “Plus weren’t the Mario Bros Italian?
“Italians are considered Latin actually,” a tweeter concluded.
wpDiscuz
Who really cares. Never heard of him.
the lion king had no white actors lets complain