Charlie Day, who voices Luigi in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” goes viral after making a joke throughout a podcast about his second-favorite Luigi. Leon Bennett by way of Getty Images
Actor Charlie Day illustrated a primary tenet for many comedians whereas selling his latest movie, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie”: When somebody gives the proper setup for a joke, you are taking it.
And ― spoiler alert — this one was darkish.
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Day supplies the voice of Italian plumber Luigi within the movie sequence and was requested about his favourite Luigi throughout an interview posted Wednesday by the “Tintoria” podcast.
“I have a question for you, Charlie — you play Luigi, a great Italian guy,” the interviewer started. “Who’s your favorite Luigi in recent American history?”
Day didn’t count on the query, however obliged the interviewer.
“In recent American history?!” Day requested with laughter, seeming to grasp the subtext of the query.
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His first response was a shameless film plug, positive to please executives at Nintendo, the proprietor of the Super Mario Bros. gaming franchise, and Universal Pictures, the movie’s distributor.
“Ah, well, me, first of all. Number one,” he answered.
But, as talked about above, typically comedians need to take the bait ― irrespective of how darkish — and Day’s subsequent response was a doozy.
“Luigi Mangione, number two,” he mentioned, referring to the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York sidewalk in December 2024.
You can see Day’s response within the clip beneath.
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Although referencing a person accused of homicide throughout a podcast supposed to advertise a family-friendly movie is a daring transfer, Day is just not the primary one to attach the online game plumber with Mangione.
After Mangione was arrested in December 2024, folks flooded the internet with memes connecting the 2 Luigis.
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For occasion, after a courtroom look that month, Mangione was surrounded by reporters, photographers and lookie-loos, one among whom yelled, “Hey, Luigi! It’s-a-me, Mario!” — a well-liked catchphrase from the sport.
Mangione, who has pleaded not responsible to all fees, is being tried in state and federal courts for Thompson’s killing. The New York state trial is about to start out in June, whereas the federal trial is about for September.
