We’ve not seen a great deal of Kevin Afghani since the voice actor took over the envious role of Mario from veteran Charles Martinet. But this coming weekend, Afghani will meet his fans for the very first time when he attends Charlie’s ComicCon in Estero, Florida.

To mark the occasion, Afghani recently caught up with USA Today to chat about all things Mario, including his prior experience with Nintendo games, how he feels to voice the world’s most famous plumber, and what it’s like to follow up on the work done by Charles Martinet.

When asked whether he was nervous about stepping into the shoes that Martinet had filled for so long, Afghani confirmed this vehemently, heaping praise upon his predecessor:

“Look, Charles, as far as I’m concerned, IS Mario. He created something that is so unbelievably iconic. And he did it so masterfully. If I wasn’t nervous, then I’m the wrong guy.

“I’m the second guy who’s doing Mario. Charles is THE guy. There is such an unbelievable respect for Charles. He is amazing.”

We expected nothing less, but it’s lovely to see Afghani paying his respects to Martinet. The latter is now acting as the official brand ambassador for the Mario series, and frequently attends events himself to meet fans and regale audiences with stories of his career.

Afghani also took the time to debunk an unsubstantiated rumour speculating that he previously took part in Nintendo Direct presentations as a narrator, confirming “I never worked for Nintendo before being Mario”.