After nearly three decades as the iconic voice of Mario, Charles Martinet has clarified his approach to in-character fan interactions following recent social media speculation sparked by a convention appearance.
Recognized as Nintendo's official Mario Ambassador, Martinet remains famous for enthusiastically performing Mario's voice during fan encounters. Concerns arose after YouTuber Ricky Berwick suggested Martinet faced restrictions - until the voice actor himself provided clarification.
The controversy began after Martinet's appearance at Phoenix Fan Fusion 2025. Berwick, with millions of social media followers, claimed Martinet "couldn't perform any of his iconic character voices" during the event, calling the situation disappointing.
This incident gained attention coinciding with news that Samantha Kelly, Martinet's former colleague, had been replaced as Princess Peach and Toad's voice - learning about the change on the Mario Kart World release day.
While Nintendo retired Martinet from official voice work in 2022, they honored him with a special farewell video featuring Shigeru Miyamoto and appointed him Mario Ambassador. Martinet has maintained an active convention schedule despite initially being unsure about his ambassador role.
Responding to Berwick, Martinet explained his current policy focuses on avoiding improvised dialogue rather than refusing character voices altogether.
"I absolutely do the voices for every fan," Martinet clarified. "I simply don't create new Mario phrases."
Martinet emphasized this reflects his personal commitment to preserving character integrity, saying: "That's my choice - I maintain the characters' authenticity. But meet me at any convention and you'll definitely hear Mario! #woohoo"
Currently, Kevin Afghani voices Mario in Nintendo games while Chris Pratt continues the role in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel.
