Charles Martinet–once the voice actor for one of gaming’s most iconic characters and now Nintendo’s official Mario Ambassador–has had to clarify his stance on voicing Mario for fans. After a viral post claimed Martinet was no longer allowed to do Mario’s voice, Martinet posted to explain that he simply won’t improvise lines for Mario.
After meeting with Martinet at a convention, YouTuber Ricky Berwick posted to X claiming the actor “wasn’t even allowed to do the voice of Mario or any of his iconic character’s voices.” In the replies, another user posted a similar story claiming Martinet couldn’t do the voice because he was “under a contract.” Berwick later clarified in a reply to his original post that Martinet did the Mario voice for him off camera, but “wasn’t allowed to” on video.
While fans were concerned about the possibility of a restrictive contract with Nintendo, Martinet replied to the post directly, explaining that what he will and won’t voice for fans at conventions is due to his own choices.
