Kevin Afghani reflects on taking over as Mario’s voice

Kotaku reports Kevin Afghani stepped into the voice roles of Mario, Luigi and Wario in 2023 after Charles Martinet was confirmed to be “stepping back” to become a “Mario Ambassador.” Afghani is making his first American convention appearance at Charlie’s Comic Con in Florida and spoke to USA Today about taking on the job.

Afghani praised Martinet, saying, “Look, Charles, as far as I’m concerned, is Mario. He created something that is so unbelievably iconic. And he did it so masterfully. If I wasn’t nervous, then I’m the wrong guy.” He said he spent much of his life “mimicking” Martinet’s Mario and Luigi performances and that the characters are “important” to him; taking the role is about carrying them on so they can “keep being important to other people.”

Martinet’s last credited role as Mario was in 2022’s Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, and he had a small cameo in The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023 as Mario’s dad. According to Martinet, he is allowed to perform Mario’s voice for fans but won’t improvise dialogue, so don’t expect him to open a Cameo to record voice messages for fans as Mario anytime soon.

Key Topics

Culture, Kevin Afghani, Charles Martinet, Mario, Luigi, Wario