Exactly one week and two days ago we were able to interview Jack Black through a video call session. The reason? The release of “Super Mario Bros. The Movie” and his role in it: Black gave voice to the fearsome Bowser.
For Jack Black Bowser has a great legacy as a villain, and in fact he appreciates him for being “a very heavy metal character.” And it is that for this comic actor, who has always been linked to music and especially Heavy Metal, playing Bowser was something that suited him perfectly.
Curious facts during the interview. Jack Black speaks some Spanish, he gave us some phrases. He had a hard time pronouncing my name (Consuelo), asking if he was with “O” or with “A” (ConsuelA?). His sense of humor was present throughout the entire “round table” session. And also every emphasis that he wanted to give was a masterpiece with his voice.
Read the interview below:
There’s a lot of you in Bowser. How was the process of creating his voice for this film?
First, it’s great to play a villain. Bowser is THE villain of Nintendo. It was explosive to discover the character and determine the voice of him. The creators of Illumination and Nintendo were very specific with what they wanted. However, we tried different Bowsers until we found one we all agreed with.
You have a close relationship with video games and music. This heavy metal label, which we see as the label of this Bowser… Does it have your influence or is it something typical of the script? Because there’s a lot of you in this Bowser…
You have to ask the creators of the film if there is inspiration in Jack Black (laughs). I must say that I was very happy when I found out that they did that (make a very Heavy Metal character) and that that label was part of the character. When we see his giant ship, with rock and lava, it shows that. And it makes a lot of sense for the character: because he breathes fire, he’s surrounded by lava. Bowser is very Heavy Metal. I was happy with it, I find it very entertaining from him.
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You have also given your voice to other video game characters. How do you connect that to this interpretation of Bowser?
JI have done some voices in video games, like in “Brütal Legend” where I played a rocker in a Heavy Metal dimension. And that experience is basically the same: both in video games and animated movies. They tell a story and you bring the emotions to it in the performance. I love the world of videogames, and I don’t just play characters, I play. At 50, I’m 53, I still enjoy a good video game.
One of the last ones I was playing was “God of War” (Rägnarok) (pronounced with a VERY rock voice). I don’t know if it sounds familiar. But I am a believer in the value of entertainment and also the art of storytelling that video games have. They are not a waste of time to disconnect the mind, there is a lot of art in them, for their realization.
You have worked in comedy. But this character… What do you think makes him entertaining?
The fun thing about Bowser is that you have this “powerful and evil and imposing being”, but he’s also very sensitive and insecure (he points out, playing with a sweeter tone of voice).
And that dichotomy is entertaining, because someone so powerful and dangerous, (plays with the voice again) but at the same time he is worried about “what people think of him and worried that someone does not love him, as he loves her” . He has this sensitive side, and at the same time this is entertaining.
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What did you love the most about playing Bowser?
I love that Bowser has this great reputation. Everyone knows Bowser and has an idea of him. We could say that he is one of the best known villains of all time in video games. That’s exciting.
It’s like playing the Joker or another major character with a great story. And it’s great when they ask you: “hey, and are you working on something?”, “nothing very big, I’m just going to play BOWSER. In the Super Mario movie. And that conversation generates an impressive “what” (he pointed out exaggerating the “What?”).
Illumination Studios has a similar mood to yours. How was working with them?
I was already a big fan of Illumination before I got this job. I particularly love Despicable Me and the sequels. I also love the work of Jim Carrey (In Horton’s World) on the Dr. Seuss masterpieces. I was excited to work with Illumination, because I knew the great work they’ve done, and because they’re certainly geniuses.
When you get the chance to work with a team like that, you obviously realize there’s a lot of magic here. And in a way it’s kind of funny: I imagine appearing behind a curtain and asking “hey, how do you do this?”. Seeing a bit of its secrets was very exciting. Just like being part of this team. Thank you for letting me be a part of this amazing team for the Super Mario adventure.
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This movie could inspire new Mario video games, how do you imagine a new story, but considering this Bowser that you played?
Don’t know. That is a good question. It’s a question for a writer: What stories would I like to tell about Bowser in the future? Maybe it would be great if someone even more evil and more powerful than Bowser showed up. And Bowser had to turn on his good side even more to help Mario defeat the powerful new villain. A villain called “Gaspacho”.
I just wrote this guys: remember who wrote the Gaspacho thing. It was me. “Super Mario Bros and the legend of Gaspacho” (this is the name of the video game).
Did you see the Mario movie from the 90’s? As well as to investigate before this work or observe Dennis Hopper’s performance as Bowser. Fun fact: Seth Rogan never saw her…
Oh God. I can not believe it. I love Seth very much, he did very well with DK. But did he seriously not see her? Now for me: it’s pretty embarrassing to admit that she didn’t even know he played Bowser (laughs). You should have seen that, to know how that great actor played Bowser. I love my Bowser and I know he’s the best, but I also love Hopper.
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Briefly summarize what you feel with this Bowser, you Bowser…
I am the luckiest actor in the world. But the lucky one is you… to see this. Hahaha, I feel very lucky.
Could we do this more often? Being in their houses and pretending that we are at a table. Think of all the money and support for the environment. (He pointed to her in closing, referring to the “round table” dynamic with online journalists).
