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Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His accolades include a Grammy Award and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards.
Black is best known for his work in Hollywood comedy films, including High Fidelity, Nacho Libre, Shallow Hal, School of Rock, Goosebumps and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. His most famous role in animation is that of Po in DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda (along with Seth Rogen). In 2023, Black voiced Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a movie based on Nintendo's video game series of the same name. After the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black plays two characters from other video game movie adaptations: Claptrap in Borderlands (2024) and Steve in the upcoming A Minecraft Movie (2025).
In 2018, Black received a placement on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Black is the lead vocalist of the band Tenacious D, and formed the duo in 1994 with long-time friend Kyle Gass. They won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for The Last in Line in 2015. Since 2018, Black has operated a YouTube channel called Jablinski Games.
Bowser[]
In a Nintendo Direct presentation broadcasted on September 23, 2021, Black was revealed as the voice of Bowser in Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie released on April 5, 2023.
During a video interview, when asked whether he's a "fan" of the Mario series, Black said he "goes way back... to Donkey Kong".[1] On October 6, 2022, he appeared at the movie's teaser trailer screening at New York Comic Con to discuss his role in the movie, his impressions of the trailer, and his memories of playing Super Mario games.[2]
During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show alongside cast members Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, and Keegan-Michael Key, Black wore a Bowser costume while talking about the film. He would later wear a Bowser-inspired suit to the film's premiere, featuring flames on the blazer sleeves and faux spikes on the back.[3]
On voicing Bowser, Black states that he sought to portray him as hiding an insecurity or vulnerability under his threatening, "fire-breathing monster" facade. He states that his rage and fury stem from his inability to communicate and build relationships, and describes Bowser as a "jealous creature of sort of a petty sadness". He compares the character of Bowser to a "flaming Guy Fieri".[4]
Black has said in an interview that he came up with Bowser's voice, using inspiration from Star Wars' Darth Vader, as well as testing with British and Southern accents.[5] IGN's Tom Jorgensen commended Black's performance as Bowser for being "standout" and fitting to the character.[6] Black has also stated his interest in a potential sequel featuring Pedro Pascal (who had previously played Mario in a Saturday Night Live sketch) voicing the character Wario, who could serve as the film's main villain.[7] In December 2023, Black expressed interest in the potential sequel being a musical titled Bowser's Revenge.[8]
His performance as Bowser was nominated in the 2024 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Villain and Favorite Male Voice From an Animated Movie (his performance as Po in Kung Fu Panda 4) alongside Chris Pratt, was also nominated for the latter award. He won the former award, but lost the latter award to Adam Sandler as the titular reptile from Leo.
Peaches[]
Jack Black created the song Peaches, wherein Bowser professes his love for Princess Peach. Having Bowser perform a love song in the movie was Black's idea. Peaches was released on April 7, 2023, with a music video directed by Cole Bennett. An officially sponsored live-action music video for the song stars Jack Black in a Bowser-inspired outfit. According to Black, it was filmed within a few hours. Upon its initial release, "Peaches" appeared on No. 61 on the iTunes streaming chart. Later, the song appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at position 83 and later peaking at position 56.[9] Black also performed the song at the Game Awards 10-Year Concert.[10] The song was nominated for MIAWudio of the Year at the 2023 MTV MIAW Awards. During the final night of it's North American leg of Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour, Black performed the song live on stage in Brooklyn, in which the Jonas Brothers invited him to perform on stage, at the intermission.
Accolades[]
Gallery[]
| Main article: Jack Black/gallery |
Trivia[]
- In the mature-rated music video for the Tenacious D song Video Games, an animated version of Jack Black is seen dressed as many different video game characters, including Link from The Legend of Zelda series. He is also seen as Mario and grabs a Super Mushroom. The music video was directed by Adam Paloian, who worked on The Cuphead Show.[11]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Jack Black: I'm Gonna Eat Chris Pratt Whole in Upcoming Super Mario Bros. Animated Movie Publish Date: October 27, 2021.
- ↑ Jack Black as Bowser on New York Comic Con
- ↑ Super Mario Movie cast trick Jack Black into wearing a Bowser costume Entertainment Weekly; Date: March 2, 2023.
- ↑ Jack Black's Bowser Costume At The Mario Movie's premiere
- ↑ Jack Black Used Darth Vader for Bowser in Super Mario Movie IGN Southeast Asia; Date: April 4, 2023.
- ↑ The Super Mario Bros. Movie review. IGN; Date: April 4, 2023.
- ↑ Jack Black Pitches Pedro Pascal to Voice Wario in Super Mario Bros. Sequel, Says 'It's Not a Given Bowser Returns Date: April 10, 2023; Author: The Variety
- ↑ Jack Black Wants Mario Movie Sequel To Be Musical Date: December 18, 2023; Author: IGN
- ↑ Mario movie's Peaches Is Officially a Hit, Debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 IGN; Date: April 18, 2023
- ↑ Jack Black Performs Peaches At Game Awards Concert NintendoLife; Date: June 26, 2023.
- ↑ Video Games Music Video
External links[]
- Jack Black at Super Mario Wiki, the Super Mario wiki.
- Jack Black at MarioWiki, the Fandom wiki on Mario.
- Jack Black at the Internet Movie Database
- Jack Black at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia