Keegan-Michael Key ‘Improvised a Song’ as Toad in the ‘Mario’ Movie
Not much is known about Nintendo’s upcoming “Super Mario Bros.” movie, but Keegan-Michael Key revealed to Variety that his character Toad has a musical moment in the film.
When asked if Toad shows off his singing chops in the animated movie, Key said, “He does. I got to improvise a song in ‘Super Mario Bros.,’ which was an absolute blast. That was just a stick of fun, that whole thing.”
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Regarding Toad’s voice, Key said, “I was working on the voice with my partner and trying to find the voice through the internal journey of the character. And then with the directors [Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic], we sprinkled some things in, we moved it around.”
Key went on to joke about how he is a “theater fucking actor nerd” when discussing Toad’s voice, adding, “There was something about the timbre. I wanted it higher and higher and higher. And that’s where we ended up, and I’m really happy with where we ended up.”
Rumors that the “Mario” movie might contain musical sections have circled for months, with Jack Black revealing at New York Comic Con last week that he “did a little bit of rocking” as Bowser.
“I did bring some of my heavy metal roots,” Black said. “Bowser is kind of like a heavy metal rockstar, a big, strong and scary rockstar. And I did a little bit of rocking. I think you’ll be surprised to see that Bowser has a musical side. After the movie comes out, I might take it to Broadway.”
In his Variety interview, Key also divulged some details about the upcoming “Wonka” movie starring Timothée Chalamet.
“I am in one very big elongated musical number with Timmy, which is great,” Key said. “I absolutely adore him. And then I have another musical number that is with other people about Timmy.”
The “Reboot” and “Key & Peele” star added that the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” prequel is a new adventure that is not “beholden” to the original story, teasing, “There’s an introduction of a world that you don’t know.”
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