John Leguizamo has continued to voice his criticism towards the new Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Some fans may remember that the 62-year-old actor starred in the 1993 live-action version of Super Mario Bros. as Luigi, opposite Bob Hoskins' Mario.
The film - which was the first-ever U.S. theatrical release of a movie based on a video game - bombed at the box office and holds just a 29% rating and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it has since become a hit with fans over the years.
This year, a new animated take on the game has been released and it features Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad.
Watch the trailer for the new Super Mario Bros. movie below:With the flick coming out 30 years after Leguizamo's movie, the Colombian-born actor has made it clear to TMZ that he won't be among those watching it at the theatre.
"No, I will not be watching," the actor said, before posing for selfies with fans and speaking to the outlet while doing so. "They could've included a Latin character. I was groundbreaking and they stopped the groundbreaking."
The Violent Night star went on to explain that the Latin audience is a massive part of the population, but they're usually underrepresented on screen.
"They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included," he continued. "Just cast some Latin folk. We're 20 percent of the population - the largest people-of-color group, and we're underrepresented. Over-represented in the worst kinda jobs, though."
When asked again by the reporter if he would be watching the movie, the Leguizamo strongly said: "Hell no!"
In an interview with IndieWire in November 2022, the Ice Age actor described the new movie's casting as "unfortunate" after his "breakthrough" role.
"The directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton fought really hard for me to be the lead because I was a Latin man, and [the studio] didn't want me to be the lead. They fought really hard, and it was such a breakthrough," he said.
"For them to go backward and not cast another [actor of color] kind of sucks. A lot of people love the original. I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone's like, 'No, no, we love the old one, the original.' They're not feeling the new one. I'm not bitter. It's unfortunate," he added.
Leguizamo's call for inclusion is very evident as he shared an open letter to Hollywood back in November 2022, in which he stated that white actors are often awarded roles that should've gone to people of color.
"You had Al Pacino in tan makeup, coked up and wild as a Cuban in Scarface. The studios loved it so much they put him in Carlito's Way as a Puerto Rican from Spanish Harlem," he said, per the Los Angeles Times.
"They surrounded him with Latino actors, but not one of us had a lead role. In our own stories, we were still just supporting players," he added.
