Charles Martinet Stays True to Mario's Voice

Charles Martinet, the celebrated voice of Mario for nearly three decades, has clarified how he engages with fans in character—and his reasons for doing so—after a recent convention appearance sparked confusion across social media.

Now officially designated by Nintendo as a Mario Ambassador, Martinet remains famous for enthusiastically performing Mario's voice during in-person fan interactions. However, recent posts from YouTuber Ricky Berwick raised concerns that Nintendo had placed restrictions on Martinet's performances—until the actor himself stepped in to set the record straight.

Shortly after Martinet appeared earlier this month at Phoenix Fan Fusion 2025 in Arizona, Berwick—who has 6.25 million YouTube subscribers and 14.1 million TikTok followers—claimed the legendary voice actor "wasn't allowed to perform Mario's voice or any of his iconic character voices" during the meet-and-greet. "It's a f**king shame," Berwick added.

The post quickly drew attention online, especially as it came just hours after news surfaced that Martinet's former colleague Samantha Kelly had been replaced as the voice of Princess Peach and Toad. The actress reportedly learned of the change on the same day Nintendo Switch 2's launch title, Mario Kart World, released without her participation.

Nintendo officially retired Martinet from voice acting in 2022, though the company gave him a heartfelt send-off—complete with a farewell video featuring Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto—and affirmed he would continue collaborating with Nintendo as Mario Ambassador. Martinet later admitted he wasn't entirely clear on the role's responsibilities, but he has since maintained a full schedule of convention appearances.

Responding to Berwick's post, Martinet explained that the issue in question involved performing improvised dialogue as any of his former Nintendo characters—including not only Mario but also Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi.

"Oh Ricky, I do the voice for every fan I meet," Martinet replied. "I simply don't improvise non-Mario phrases or dialogue."

Martinet went on to clarify that this was his personal choice, motivated by a desire to avoid having Nintendo's characters say anything outside the established game scripts.

"That's my own decision, without a doubt," Martinet continued. "I always preserve the integrity of the character. But come visit me at any Comic Con or fan expo, and you'll definitely hear Super Mario! #woohoo"

Mario's voice in Nintendo video games is now provided by Kevin Afghani, while Chris Pratt voices the character in the Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is set to receive a sequel next year.