Super Mario Bros. Movie (1993) – Mini-interviews with Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper

Below are two mini-interviews found only in Japan as a part of a guidebook for Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES. The interview was conducted by Shigesato Itoi’s company, Ape Inc. (now known as Creatures), and was featured alongside several other bios and interviews with staff from Nintendo who worked on the game.

These interviews are with Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper, who played Mario and President Koopa (Bowser) respectively in the live-action Hollywood adaptation of Super Mario Bros. that was released in 1993. In Japan, the movie was heavily promoted alongside Super Mario All-Stars and these short interviews are a part of that campaign.

Bob Hoskins

——Have you played the Mario games?

I’ve got two kids, and both of them play games. They love them. They try their hardest to show me the games, but everything’s too fast for me. Can’t say I’m any good at them.

——Do you think you look like Mario?

Yeah, I’d say so. We’ve got the same figure, don’t you think? We’re both kinda squarish.

——Was it easy, playing the role of Mario?

Nah, it was pretty difficult. I mean, the expectations from kids all over the world are on my back, you know? No way that’s an easy job.

Dennis Hopper

——Did you know about Mario from before [the movie]?

Of course! I knew that Mario is the most popular game in the world, and kids really love the character.

——How was it playing the role of Koopa in the movie?

Oh, it was rough. The toughest part was the makeup — It took three hours to do that hairstyle, every day we were filming. Also, Koopa has some lizard-like movements, so those were hard to imitate. But I also had a lot of fun, and the movie turned out well, so I feel great about it.

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