John Leguizamo celebrated the recent anniversary of the big screen Super Mario Bros. adaptation by releasing a video which recalls his work on the flick.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since the much-maligned movie hit screens around the world. Although critics and hardcore Mario fans absolutely hated it, the film has become something of a cult classic among those who love misunderstood cinema.
To properly mark the occasion, John Leguizamo — who played Luigi in the Super Mario Bros. movie — put together a pre-recorded message that played during a recent screening of the flick. While most people associated with the project seem to hate it with an undying passion, Leguizamo has a few fond memories of his time on the set.
“I’m glad people appreciate the movie. It was the first, nobody had ever done it before. We made a lot of great things and we made a lot of mistakes,” the actor explained.
However, Leguizamo wasn’t always so willing to discuss the stronger points of the feature. In his autobiography, he stated that he was disappointed with the direction the film had taken. The flick’s storied production famously took its toll on both cast and crew.
During an interview with the Guardian , Bob Hoskins was asked a few questions about his career. Needless to say, the actor doesn’t think very highly of Super Mario Bros. or his turn as the iconic plumber. In fact, he stated that the adaptation was both his biggest disappointment and the worst job he’d ever accepted.
When asked what aspect of his career he would change, Hoskins said that he wouldn’t do the Super Mario Bros. movie. In short, the Who Framed Roger Rabbit? star clearly didn’t enjoy his time with the project.
For an in-depth and revealing look at what went wrong during the filming of the cult classic, check out Ben Reeves’ piece over at Game Informer . Everything that went wrong with the flick is lovingly chronicled. Even more info can be found at Super Mario Bros. The Movie Archive .
Are you a fan of the Super Mario Bros. movie? What do you think about John Leguizamo’s thoughts about the troubled motion picture?
