Bowser Voice Actor Reveals How He Got The Job, His Favorite Games, Meeting Miyamoto, And More

Our friends at Nintenderos have published an interview with Kenny James, best known as the voice actor behind Super Mario series villain Bowser.

First, James spoke about how he became the voice of Bowser – it was all down to luck. Here’s his full explanation:

“As you mention, I really was in the right place at the right time. Working as a propane service technician, I started looking for a job as a voice actor. So one day one of my clients overheard my conversation with one of my colleagues when I was talking to her about it. Surprisingly, he asked me if I had any voice demo that I could leave him.

How could it be otherwise, I left a link to my website and she passed it to the studio that Nintendo of America normally uses to record their games. So the production manager started sending me auditions to do.

Thus, I ended up receiving a request to audition for Bowser. The audition consisted of the script and reference tracks from Super Mario Sunshine. At that time the game had already been released, but it had not been played yet. The truth is that I did my best imitation of the character’s old voice actor.

A few weeks later, I received an email telling me that I had gotten the job. Shortly after, my first session was completed: Super Mario Strikers.

I was terrified. I had already experienced what it is like to be in a recording studio as a singer, but I felt like I had never been in a place like that before.

Once we started, I realized that my mission was not to speak. Therefore, the tone of my voice changed rapidly after that. It sounded less human, I guess. The truth is that I am really happy with the way my work has been accepted by fans!”

Next, James was asked about his favorite Super Mario series game. The Mario Kart games are his favorite, and outside of the Mario series, he loves Star Wars and Star Trek as well:

“I love Mario Kart games! Actions like driving or flying are some of my favorite activities when playing a video game. Despite that, I recently started playing Super Mario World again. It’s still fun for me. Also, I love the music in that game.

Regarding games outside of the Super Mario franchise, I’d say I really like those set in space, like Star Wars Battlefront and Star Trek: Bridge Crew. BTW, Star Trek is incredibly fun in virtual reality!“

He also spoke about meeting with Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Unfortunately, he has never met him before:

“Mr. Miyamoto … The truth is that I have not yet been fortunate enough to see him in person. It is a question that I am often asked a lot at the conventions I go to. Still, I would love to get to know him one day!“

Check out the full interview in Spanish here.

What do you think?