New Mario Actor Discusses Taking Over For Iconic Charles Martinet

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Kevin Afghani is the new voice actor for both Mario and Luigi, succeeding the beloved Charles Martinet. Afghani recently shared his thoughts on taking on such a famous role, emphasizing that Charles Martinet will always be considered the original voice of Mario.

Charles, in my opinion, Mario is the standard,” Afghani explained to USA Today. “He built something truly unforgettable, and he did it with incredible skill. If I weren’t feeling nervous about this, I wouldn’t be the right person for the job.”

Afghani jokingly calls himself ‘the second Mario,’ acknowledging that Martinet will always be considered the original and definitive voice of the character.

“There is such an unbelievable respect for Charles. He is amazing,” Afghani said.

Kevin Afghani started his acting career playing Mario in the 2023 film, Super Mario Bros. Wonder. He mentioned he isn’t often recognized for the role, likely because a lot of his work happens behind the scenes, not on camera.

It’s funny, no one really considers who actually performs the voice of Mario. Everyone recognizes the character, but when you point out he’s voiced by an actor, it’s like a surprising realization, as if people hadn’t thought about it before,” said Afghani.

During the interview, Afghani clarified that he hadn’t previously narrated Nintendo Directs, despite rumors to the contrary. He stated, “There’s a strange story going around online that I worked on Nintendo Directs – that I narrated them. But I’ve never worked for Nintendo before landing the role of Mario.”

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2026-01-15 18:10