'It's a-me, Princess Peach!' Power up with our Q&A with the Mario voice actress
“La-la-la-la-la-la!” If you can already hear that line in your head, you probably played as Princess Peach in the video game Super Smash Bros. You can meet Samantha Kelly, the voice of Princess Peach, at the Super Cincy Expo in Sharonville this weekend. Kelly has voiced Princess Peach and Toad in Super Mario Bros. video games since 2007. We spoke to the Nintendo voice actress about her life and career.
I read that you were born in Kenya. Were your parents living in or visiting Kenya?
“They were living there. They didn’t stay very long. I honestly was only there through the first year of my life and I haven’t gone back. I would love to go back one of these days. One of my friends lives in Kenya and I would love to go visit.”
Where did you grow up?
“All over the place. Since we were a military family, we lived everywhere. And in some ways, I think it kind of led to me being a voice actor just because I was a really shy person and I was moving so frequently. I think I went to seven different second grades. It was a little overwhelming. I developed a little imaginary world in my head and loved making voices, and then I also realized when I got older that voice acting felt good. A lot of the friends who come to cons like Super Cincy Expo are people who are more introverted and who are shy and who love gaming. Voice acting is awesome because no one is looking at you. Your voice is just there and you can be as big and as amazing as you want to be. I think that a lot of my friends feel that way about cosplay as well. The cosplay allows them to be someone that they want to be, someone that they know they are but then in the regular world they are not allowed to exhibit all that.”
When and why did you decide that you wanted to be an actress?
“(The shyness) kind of followed me. I was doing radio. It was very comfortable to me because no one was looking at me. I was doing different syndicated shows. This guy comes up to me and he goes, ‘Do you have an agent?’ I said ‘No.’ And so I started doing some work for them, commercial work with regular straight-up voice work. And after a while, my agent sent me out and auditioned for this game. They were going to recast the characters of Peach and Toad and they said ‘Could you do these voices?’ And I said ‘yes’ and so I did them and got the part. And that’s how that began.”
How did you prepare for the auditions of Princess Peach and Toad?
“I didn’t know that is what I was going on an audition for. A lot of times when they do auditions, especially for games, they are very secret about what it is because it’s kind of top-secret stuff. When I showed up, they basically gave me a script and said, ‘Can you do these voices?’ and I could. It’s really special and it’s not something that I take for granted. There was nothing preparing me for it. I just went in and did it.”
Which character do you enjoy voicing more, Princess Peach or Toad?
“I love them both, kind of like family members. I couldn’t choose. I love them both. Sometimes it’s really fun to be Peach. She’s a little bit more like me probably in real life than Toad is. But Toad is uninhibited and uptight at the exact same time. They are both delightful characters. That’s just Nintendo. They come up these amazing games and these beautiful scenarios and scripts. I just get the pleasure of voicing it.”
Which is your favorite video game?
“My favorite is Mario Kart.”
What was your favorite Princess Peach line in the Mario games?
“The ones I really enjoy are the ones from Super Smash Bros. because she’s so sassy and strong. I like it when she says ‘Oh, did I win?’ I love that one.”
What was your favorite Toad line or sound in the Mario games?
“You know what was fun to do was the new game, 'Wonder,' that just came out. Toad has one scene in there where he is falling for like nine seconds and he’s screaming the whole time. It’s the most hilarious thing whenever I watch it, I just laugh.”
Why do you love going to conventions?
“Well, it’s because I was so resistant to go in the beginning. I was afraid. First of all, I told you that I am shy. I finally went to my first con and I loved it! It is the most collaborative community of kind people. I love how creative people are who are there. I love how innocent and joyful it is. I love being around a community like that. I feel like if the rest of the world was like the community that we have at cons, the world would be a wonderful place.”
What advice do you have for aspiring voice actors?
“I tell young actors to practice reading and doing it as if you were talking to a friend because you can tell when someone is reading something versus someone who is saying something and meaning it with everything inside them. That’s how you get good roles. The more you read and practice reading and selling it with your whole heart, the easier it is for you if you get in an audition. I tell young people to read a lot, do a lot of theater classes if you can, or do community theater. Also, make friends. If you can make friends who are in the business, it helps you because you can let them know your goals, and they can help you with classes or tell you where to go.”
Do you have a closing message for the Cincinnati fans who will attend the Super Cincy Expo?
“It’s going to be one of the most amazing times because not only are you going to get a chance to meet Peach and Toad and Bowser and a bunch of other friends but they are going to have actual tournaments where you can play Smash Bros. You can play Mario Kart. You can enjoy yourself and meet friends. So, come, and who knows? You might even beat Bowser at Mario Kart 8.”
Celebrities coming to Super Cincy Expo 2024
The Super Cincy Expo website, supercincyexpo.com, lists three additional celebrities scheduled to appear:
Kenny James, the voice actor who portrayed Bowser in several Mario video games.
Dan Molina, voice actor, sound designer and editor, famous for voicing Fish Out of Water in the Chicken Little Franchise.
Steve J. Palmer, actor famous for voicing Bill Williamson in the 2010 video game Red Dead Redemption, and its 2018 prequel Red Dead Redemption 2.
What else is happening at the Super Cincy Expo?
Celebrity cancellations happen. Watch social media for the latest on your favorite celeb.
Each celebrity will have separate charges for autographs and table photos. Check out supercincyexpo.com for prices.
Video gamers can meet each other at the Super Cincy Expo, a three-day electronic gaming extravaganza. This is the inaugural convention.
Icon Gaming will host the Ultimate Video Game Competition. Conventiongoers can compete in video games for the opportunity to win cash prizes and merchandise. The tournament will feature the games Super Smash Bros Ultimate (doubles and singles), Mortal Kombat 1 (singles), Tekken 8 (singles), Killer Instinct (singles), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Street Fighter 6 (singles).
Conventiongoers wanting to compete need to register on the day of the tournament in rooms 201-204 at the Sharonville Convention Center. Competitors should bring their controllers.
There will be two costume contests on April 7: Prejudging at MaryMary Cosplay booth at 12:30 p.m. and Costume Contest On Main Event Stage at 2 p.m.
The convention will feature an Exhibition Hall, which will feature vendors selling collectibles, gaming consoles, cosplay accessories, artwork and more.
There will be panels.
If you go to Super Cincy Expo
Where: Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road.
When: 6-10 p.m. Friday, April 5; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, April 6; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, April 7.
Admission: Friday and Sunday passes cost $10 each, Saturday passes cost $15, and weekend passes cost $25. Children 10 and under are free.
Information: supercincyexpo.com.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Meet Mario's Princess Peach at Super Cincy Expo. Get to know her first
