My First Year as Mario: A Voice Actor's Intimate Journey

I'm still pinching myself. One year of breathing life into gaming's most iconic plumber, and I can barely wrap my head around it. "I have lived a lifetime's worth of dreams in a year" - that's how I described it on X, but words barely scratch the surface of what this ride has been like.

The fans... God, the fans. They embraced me when they could've rejected me. I expected skepticism, maybe even hostility. Instead, I got acceptance. Do you have any idea what that feels like? To step into shoes that seemed impossibly large and hear people say, "Yeah, this works."

Super Mario Bros. Wonder scored perfectly in reviews. Not because of me - let's be real - but I didn't fuck it up, which was my biggest fear. Taking over from Charles Martinet felt like replacing a beloved family member at Christmas dinner. The guy defined Mario for generations! And suddenly there's me, this relative nobody, trying not to break tradition.

They've got me voicing Wario too in WarioWare: Move It. Never thought I'd be cackling maniacally into a microphone and calling it a career, but here we are. The credits list me as "principal performer" - corporate speak for "yep, that's him doing the weird voices."

The transition could've been a disaster. Gaming communities aren't exactly known for embracing change. Remember the backlash when they changed Sonic's design for the movie? I was bracing for that level of internet hellfire. Instead, I got... support? Still feels surreal.

I sometimes wonder if Martinet misses it. Being shuffled into an "ambassador" role sounds nice on paper, but after decades of being THE voice... must be tough watching someone else take your spot. The gaming industry can be brutally unsentimental about these things.

This year has been the wildest professional rollercoaster imaginable. From voice acting in obscure titles and Nintendo commercials to suddenly becoming the voice of gaming's most recognizable character. One minute you're a struggling actor, the next you're screaming "It's-a me!" and getting paid for it.

I still mess up sometimes - probably more than people realize. The pressure to get it right, to honor what came before while making it my own... it's overwhelming on the bad days. But when I hear kids recognize the voice, when I see people enjoying these games, I know I'm where I'm supposed to be.