The cast of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is currently flying around the world and doing interviews to promote the animated film, which is out now in theaters. And when Luigi’s voice actor, Charlie Day, was asked who his favorite Luigi was in “recent American history,” the Always Sunny In Philadelphia actor laughed before naming alleged murderer Luigi Mangione.
During a recent interview event in Tokyo, Japan, some of the cast of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie were chatting with an interviewer about the upcoming film. Pretty standard stuff. These interviews are usually boring fluff where guests answer pre-screened questions with media-trained responses and company-approved jokes. I imagine that for a Nintendo movie, these events are even more controlled and planned than usual. That makes Charlie Day’s answer when asked to name his favorite Luigi all the more surprising and hilarious.
❗During Super Mario Galaxy movie cast interview, actor Charlie Day (who plays Luigi) said that Luigi Mangione is one of his favorite Luigis in the recent American history. pic.twitter.com/6MwVQ1gdnU
— Luigi Archive (@LuigiArchive_) April 1, 2026
“You play Luigi, a great Italian guy,” asks the interviewer. “Who’s your favorite Luigi in recent American history?” Right after being asked, Day repeats, “In recent American history?!” while Keegan-Michael Key shouts. Then Day laughs extremely hard, and Princess Peach actress Anna Taylor-Joy hides her face with her hand.
“Well, me, first of all,” says Day, holding back laughter. “Number one. Uh, Luigi Mangione…Luigi Mangione number two.” The interviewer, as everyone laughs more, claims that’s what they wanted. Credit to that guy for offering Day the perfect chance to give that answer.
For those out of the loop, Mangione is currently facing charges for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on December 4, 2024. That kicked off a short manhunt for Mangione, who was eventually arrested a few days later.
Since then, Mangione has become quite popular on the internet due to his good looks and many people’s hatred of insurance companies. In the aftermath of the murder, Luigi fans connected the alleged assassin to the Nintendo character, with some fans even showing up to cheer on the young man wearing Nintendo-inspired outfits. I have to imagine Nintendo hated all of that, and I bet they aren’t going to be happy about one of the movie’s main stars directly connecting Mangione to Luigi like this. What I’d give to be a fly on the wall inside Nintendo HQ right now.