Actor Chris Pratt has confirmed that he will play the role of Mario in his normal voice, stating “Mario isn’t Italian anymore. He’s normal now.”

The star of “Parks & Rec” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” was considered a surprising choice to play Mario in the forthcoming “Super Mario Bros.” animated movie.

But Pratt doesn’t believe his casting should be thought of as a shock at all.

“Nintendo told me that they want to move away from Mario being Italian. He’s not Italian anymore. He’s normal now.

“I think this is a massive leap forward in the representation of normal people, a demographic that’s been incredibly neglected recently,” Pratt told us.

Ever the perfectionist though, Pratt says that he’s been working on his Mario voice for up to six hours a day to prepare for the role.

“It’s mainly just me talking to myself about how much I hate animals and the gays,” he admitted.