by Danreb VictorioAmong the celebrities and talent featured for meet-and-greets at GalaxyCon in San Jose this weekend, voice actors were aplenty. One of the more significant of which, at least to us, was Charles Martinet–who worked with Nintendo for over 30 years as the voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and more.
Before the release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder last year, it was announced that Charles Martinet would no longer be the voice behind Nintendo’s famous mascot and that he’d serve as “a Mario Ambassador.” We’d imagine part of that deal is what allows him to do conventions like these, and we had the pleasure of speaking with him for a few minutes about his humble beginnings in San Jose, tips on being a voice actor, some of his favorite memories working at Nintendo, along with some words of encouragement for people struggling to get into or back into the gaming industry during these tumultuous times.
A selection of the interview can be found in the video above, but we also have it written out here for your reading pleasure!
SmashPad (SP): Wow, you’re from San Jose? That’s so cool. I know I had no idea. Welcome home!
Charles Martinet (CM): I’m very familiar with Downtown San Jose!
When we were starting up the San Jose Repertory Theater (formerly Downtown San Jose’s premier location for theatrical entertainment), I would be out on the street giving brochures out to try to get an audience in there. And we had wonderful years in the theater doing everything from Private Lives, and… (struggles to name other productions), well, we did a lot (laughs)! There’s one Shakespeare that we did… it was fantastic time. That theater thrived, now it’s gone, but coming back to Downtown San Jose was just amazing.
Working at Original Joe’s is something I did for four years in my 20s and early 30s in the summer breaks between theater events and that was so totally fun. And so, I would just say come down to Downtown San Jose. Have a great time at GalaxyCon it’s gonna be a fantastic show!
SP: Can you talk a little bit about the voice acting journey?
CM: Acting is all acting. It’s just the size of it. I try to be really big with it. (switches to Mario voice) Yahoooo! (switches back).
I can’t just do that sitting down on a chair. I’ve gotta be big, but it all comes down to being real, so you learn technique, learn technique, learn technique. For a voice actor, there’s the microphone and the camera, and learn how to let it all go. That’s the real ticket to acting, whether it’s commercials, film or television. Acting is a matter of being in that moment, as that character, like a dog chasing a stick at the beach. It doesn’t sit there thinking ‘how do I pronounce this’ or ‘how do I emphasize this product’ … it’s just going out there and having fun.
There are really great teachers like Charlie Adler and Steve Blum, and I think there’s a voice over site called IWannaBeAVoiceActor.com which is Dee Bradley Baker’s site. Learn and study. My real advice is watch a lot of cartoons if you wanna be a voice actor. Watch and listen to all the things you can because there are a lot of secrets, so… Watch a lot of cartoons and have fun! That’s what the whole thing is about. It’s not brain surgery. It’s just having fun and loving every moment of life, and that’s what I wish for you is that you have that life, which is treasured.
SP: Can you talk about some of your most favorite and cherished experiences with Nintendo?
CM: It’s just been an absolute joy and a treasure to be a part of the Nintendo family and to do this wonderful character Mario, my favorite person in the world. I really wanted to make sure he had all the elements of a great human being that I respect like loyalty, trustworthiness, honesty, and optimism. It’s easy to get cynical as you get older. But this character is so full of optimism and joy and faces challenges like that. (switches to Mario’s voice) WOOHOO! Let’s-a-go! (Switches back). I really wanted that.
You know, my brother was more Mario. I was more Luigi, I’d be hiding in the background you know (switches to Luigi’s voice) I don’t think we should go outside! (switches back). You know? (laughs). But there it is… Everything from recording the games to meeting the fans, I’m so happy to be here in San Jose where I was born meeting people coming in… some are in cosplay, some are just here to have a great times, and it’s a wonderful experience. Wonderful weekend.
SP: What are some highlights in the years you’ve spent as Mario?
CM: I’m in 168 Mario games, which is where I think we are right now (smiles). It all comes right out of my art. The joy, the happiness, the fun, and creativity of that moment. But you know what? For me, Mario Teaches Typing believe it or not was a huge one because in that, I got to learn what I wanted to do with the character, which was always be positive. Always be loving. Always be respectful of all people all the time. That was a big training one for me.
When I got the phone call saying Mr. Miyamoto wants you to be Mario in the game, I was like ‘Oh! Fantastic! and I already knew what I wanted to bring to the party. That was really great and then it was a matter of fulfilling things. But Mario 64 was huge, Mario Sunshine was one of my favorites ever. It was a real change in the gaming thing, and I loved being the tour operator (switches to Delfino voice) Welcome to Isle Delfino! (switches back) and you know the little guys (does tongue gibberish of the Delfino locals before switching back). It was just pure, unadulterated fun, and that got me going to Australia where I’m going back to for Nintendo and Nintendo Direct.
Everything was a matter of adventure. Odyssey was huge, Super Mario 3D World (RAWR!)… What a blast that was! And of course the sidescrolling games, Mario Kart games… Mario Kart: Double Dash was huge. I guess you can say I love ‘em all!
SP: We talked a little bit about voice acting and the path to get into it, but to bring it back to gaming a little bit. It’s a really tough time in the industry right now, and I was wondering if you have any words for people trying to get into or get back into the gaming industry.
CM: Keep creating. Live your dreams.
I think one of the most important things is to love yourself enough to dream and not take no for an answer. You may not be perfectly suited for whatever it is, but by living your heart, living your dreams, being your own best friend, and giving yourself permission to fail as much as it costs or fail as many times as it takes to get back up, brush yourself off, and keep going. This is the life that we have. Have fun, be joyful, be creative, and be a good person. Be nice. That’s what it is.
You may think, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be a voice actor’ but you don’t have the talent let’s say or it’s just not working. But you know, keep at it and someone might go ‘hey, I’m gonna cast this thing. Do you wanna help me cast this?’ and you might find that you love casting. Living your joy, living your heart, living your dreams will bring you to the destiny that you want. Think of a hero in a video game. You go through all the trials and tribulations, you pick up more weapons to take advances to where you’re going and in the end… you’re the hero.