A few weeks ago, Pedro Pascal starred in one ofSaturday Night Live’s best skits in years asThe Last of Usactor took on the role of Super Mario for a hilariousMario Kartspoof trailer. Now, a new behind-the-scenes look shows how much effort went into nailing this comedy bit inspired by Nintendo’s best-selling game.
WithThe Super Mario Bros. Movieso close to its premiere,SNL’sMario Kartsketch instantly went viral, receiving hundreds of thousands of likes on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. It also led many fans to call for Pascal toreplace Chris Pratt as Mariomoving forward. The skit was far from the first timeSNLhas tapped into video game humor, but mixingMario Kartand HBO’sThe Last of Ustone turned out perfect, and it’s clear the production teams went the extra mile.
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InSNL’s “Behind The Sketch” feature, several cast veterans, such as Mikey Day, express their satisfaction with being able to live out their childhood dreams on thisdark trip to Rainbow Road. What’s most perplexing is witnessing the contrast between each scene as CGI effects are added to make this post-apocalyptic Mushroom Kingdom look as grim as it does. Film unit director Mike Diva singled out this three-minute-long faux teaser as one ofSNL’s most ambitious productions, as seen in the final product.
SNLmade sure to include as many Mario easter eggs as possible. Considering the show’s short production time, the result is even more impressive, and it’s obvious Pascal and the rest of the cast had a blast filming it. The HBOMario Karttrailer stars Pascal as Mario, Chloe Fineman as PrincessElliePeach, Day as Luigi, Kenan Thompson as Bowser, and season 48 newcomer Marcello Hernandez as a bisexual Toad.
The jokes in this would-be HBO’sMario Kartland include Pascal’s obsession with eating mushrooms to “feel big” and the signature catchphrases from each Mario character. Although not seen inSNL’s behind-the-scenes footage, even the music was perfectly tailored to combine classic Mario melodies withThe Last of Us' moody guitar sounds.
GivenMario Kart’s popularity among all ages, it’s no coincidence this sketch did so well forSNLbecause, aside fromThe Super Mario Bros. Moviehaving plenty of hype going for it, the love and attention to detail in the sketch is the type of thing Nintendo fans love to see. Plus,having the star ofThe MandalorianandThe Last of Usas Mario doesn’t hurt.
