Sebastian Maniscalco read for Mario in the new movie, but was given the role of Spike instead

The Super Mario Bros. Movie ultimately cast Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario, but it turns out Sebastian Maniscalco also threw his hat into the ring in hopes of nabbing the role.

Maniscalco recently appeared on Live with Kelly and Mark, and one of the hosts asks how he didn’t end up playing Nintendo’s plumber. He revealed that he actually read for Mario, but was given the role of Spike instead. For what it’s worth, Maniscalco believes Pratt “did a great job.”

Maniscalco said:

“Everybody was like, ‘How come they didn’t cast an Italian American for the role?’ So I read for Mario, and I went in there and I did the whole, ‘It’s a’me, Mario!’ And then they said, ‘We’re gonna give you Spike.’ Apparently that didn’t work out. It was great to be part of that movie, the thing’s a juggernaut, and Chris did a great job.”

Charles Martinet is the original voice of Mario in the games. While he didn’t play the same role in the film, he did have some surprise cameos.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out now. So far, the film has generated over $1.2 billion at the box office.