Chris Pratt Addresses Backlash Over 'Super Mario Bros. Movie' Casting (Exclusive)
Chris Pratt had all the feels while watching his latest film, The Super Mario Bros Movie.
"Man, it was a lot. I did get a little emotional watching this," Pratt -- who voices the beloved Nintendo character, Mario -- told ET's Matt Cohen at the movie's Los Angeles premiere on Saturday. "I mean, first of all, I didn't know what the movie was going to look like. I've been doing several sessions over the course of many years to get this thing done and I was really hoping that we didn't screw it up. I got emotional because it took very little time for me to realize how special this movie is while I was watching it."
The 43-year-old actor also addressed the criticism he received when it was initially announced that he would be voicing a famously Italian character.
"And, you know, there had been a lot of backlash and people talking about the casting. I was like, 'Oh man, I hope it's good.' And then it's so good," he said. "It was just such a relief. I was as nervous as everybody else that this was gonna get screwed up and I was grateful that it didn't."
Although he felt some pressure to deliver the best film possible, Pratt shared that now that he's seen the finished product, he's no longer nervous.
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"I feel no nerves. I'm so excited for people to see this," he shared. "I know that it's an extraordinary movie, I'm just at this point kind of waiting, man. I've been waiting for a long time sitting on the secret and now we get to share that with the world and I'm just so pumped."
One person who has already given the film their seal of approval is Pratt's 10-year-old son, Jack, who was excited about Charlie Day's character, Luigi.
"Like, he plays Smash Brothers and he's like, 'Dad, I own at Smash, I own everybody at Smash. And I'm Luigi. I think Luigi is a better player,'" Pratt said, laughing. "So he's always kind of leaning against the characters that I play!"
The Super Mario Bros. Movie jumps into theaters on April 5. The star-studded cast is rounded out by Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike, Jack Black as Bowser and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad.
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