‘Super Mario Bros.’ Star Jack Black On Creating an Emotional Moment For Bowser With “Peaches”

Jack Black may be best known as a comic actor, but he’s also the lead vocalist of Tenacious D, a duo he formed with Kyle Gass back in 1994. Since then, Tenacious D picked up a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for “The Last in Line” in 2015. While Black’s musical performances are mostly contained to Tenacious D outings, he did headline the acclaimed comedy School of Rock in which he played a man fired from his band who picks up a job as a substitute teacher at a prep school. For that performance, Black received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.

After giving several iconic performances since then, Black most recently appeared in cinemas not as himself but lending his voice to Nintendo’s most iconic villain Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. When Bowser leads the Koopas in an attack on the Mushroom Kingdom, he discovers a deep longing for the leader of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy).

That narrative gave the creative team behind The Super Mario Bros. Move and Black the opportunity to allow Bowser to voice his love for Peaches through song, “Peaches.” The creative team knew the song would be an audience favorite, but they didn’t know it would be a hit single all on its own! “Peaches” became both a viral sensation and made the US Billboard Hot 100 charts where it peaked at number 56. Shockingly, Black almost didn’t even want to sing any song at all for the film. 

Awards Daily: When did the idea of Bowser singing a song come about?

Jack Black: So that came up about 3/4 of the way through the recording process, and I had no idea that there would be a song. I don’t think they had an idea that there would be a song until later in the game. Then, they just asked me, ‘Hey, how would you feel about singing this song?’ I was, like, nah I am going to take a pass on singing a song because I have a band. I have a music career, and I’m really protective about it, and I like to keep those separate unless it was part of the deal to begin with. They said, ‘Yeah, but we think this can really add to the movie. Can we just send you what we’re thinking?’ I was like, ‘Send it over.’ They sent over this thirty second nugget of an idea for a song. I couldn’t deny that it was hilarious. Just the idea of Bowser, this fire-breathing, heavy metal dragon having this sensitive romantic song. I was like, ‘Okay, let’s give this a shot.’ So I added some lyrics and melody and got it to where I loved it. I was like this is a banger. It’s a real heartfelt love song. I don’t know if you guys are going to like what I did with it because I made it kind of real. He is really singing from his heart and soul here! There are almost tears in his eyes while he is singing these lyrics. They listened to it and they loved it. I said, ‘Really? Oh my God, are you really going to use this in the movie?’ I couldn’t believe it. So that is how it came up.

Awards Daily: When did you guys decide on the visual for the song in the film?

Jack Black: That was all them. They had this idea of him at a piano just tickling the ivories and having a musically sensitive moment. Just to show how much he loves Princess Peach.

Awards Daily: We are given a shorter version in the film. There is a longer version for the music video. What was created first?

Jack Black: It was written as a full song, and you get the second half at the end of the movie. In my mind, it will always be the full length version. I think in their mind they just wanted a little chunk of the song in the movie. Like you catch that little snippet of him playing this sensitive love song, and he never finishes it. But that is not how I roll, I like to make a whole song.

Awards Daily: What was it like performing the song dressed as Bowser at the Hollywood Bowl?

Jack Black: [Laughing] That was awesome! Look, anytime you get to perform live at the Hollywood Bowl is going to be a special memory that you will never forget. That place has so many great performances in the history of rock and roll. The Doors played at the Hollywood Bowl for crying out loud. I saw Radiohead play at the Hollywood Bowl. Not to mention the classical performances by the LA Philharmonic. The Video Game Awards were doing a special concert with all the music from video games from over the years, and they asked if I would sing Peaches and I was, like, hell yeah! So I got dressed up in my music video Bowser suit and busted out jamming in front of a sold out audience at the Hollywood Bowl. It was hilarious!

Awards Daily: Speaking of the music videos, you had two. With the animated version, I’m guessing based on what you said was the creative team from the film. But what went into creating the live action music video?

Jack Black: That was really Nick Meledandri. Chris Meledandri runs Illumination studios. He is the genius behind their huge hits over the years, Despicable Me, etc. His son, Nick, I think spearheaded this because he showed me the movie for the first time when it was first done. I saw it alone in a little screening room, and I was like ‘Holy s***, we got a hit on our hands!’ This movie is banging, and that song really crushes right in the middle of it. It was just me and Nick there at the screening, and he said I love it and I love that song and that’s when we talked about maybe it would be fun to do a music video to the song to help promote the movie. He was like, ‘Yeah, I know a dude that would be great for that named Cole Bennett who is this kick-ass music video director who’d been blowing up on social media for a while with a company called Lyrical Lemonade.’ I was like, ‘Hell, yeah. Get Cole Bennett on the case!’ That whole music video concept was Cole.

He is the genius kid who said let’s get you suited up in a cool outfit that has a nod to Bowser but not a Bowser costume, and I’m going to make this place that looks like Princess Peaches’ spaceship interior where she just chills. I’m going to make it all the color of peach, and Bowser will sneak in. You’ll climb in the window. You look around and see this picture of her on the piano, and you’ll just start playing this song. The whole music video will take place in this one place. I will just move the camera around and let you perform. That is going to be the whole concept. So it was very simple and really fun to do. We busted that out in one afternoon, and we were done so fast I was, like, ‘Really? We did the whole music video?’ He just said, ‘Yeah.’ I just said, ‘I could make more of these. Let’s work together again soon please!’

That dude is the real deal. I can’t wait to see what he does with his career because he is just getting started. He is in his twenties, and he is thinking big. He is thinking about movies, theme parks, and all kinds of projects. Not just music videos for that guy. Cole Bennett: keep your eyes peeled. I said it first, that kid is going places!

Awards Daily: He will have to credit you later when he wins an Oscar or some other awards.

Jack Black: That’s right, he better give me a shout out!

Awards Daily: Do you think Nintendo will incorporate Bowser singing into the video games from now on?

Jack Black: Oh God, you know Nintendo works in mysterious ways. I would never assume or be able to predict what they are going to do next.

Awards Daily: Not to jinx it but if you guys do get the Oscar nomination, do you have any ideas what you will do for the live performance at the Academy Awards?

Jack Black: Oh my God, can you imagine? Something special. But now you’re getting my hopes up. What if we don’t get the nomination? Then it’s just going to be in my living room. Maybe I will do a live simulcast.

Awards Daily: I think it would be absolutely hilarious and worth it just on that level.

Jack Black: [Laughing] And pathetic. I think we would come up with something. That is what we do. We are show people, after all. It is in our blood, we like to put on a good show.

Awards Daily: One thing I noticed after you perform the song in the movie, you have the Magikoopa come in and you do traditional Mario theme music on the piano. Where did the idea come to do that right after the Peaches song?

Jack Black: I think anytime you can harken back to the original music from Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong even it triggers memories and releases pheromones in the brains and minds of anyone familiar with that universe. I think they were looking for opportunities to drop little Easter eggs and little reminders of what we all have been enjoying since we were kids. It is a powerful tool and that was just another example of a place where they could tap into that deep reservoir of love for Nintendo.

Awards Daily: Well it got me in the first trailer when they played that Mario music. It grabbed me right away.

Jack Black: Hell, yeah. They know what they are doing!

Awards Daily: I should let you know I blew my little niece’s mind when she found out I was talking to you about this song.

Jack Black: [Laughing] Awesome! I love that, love to hear it.