A few weeks ago, Pedro Pascal starred in one of Saturday Night Live's best skits in years as The Last of Us actor took on the role of Super Mario for a hilarious Mario Kart spoof trailer. Now, a new behind-the-scenes look shows how much effort went into nailing this comedy bit inspired by Nintendo's best-selling game.

With The Super Mario Bros. Movie so close to its premiere, SNL's Mario Kart sketch instantly went viral, receiving hundreds of thousands of likes on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. It also led many fans to call for Pascal to replace Chris Pratt as Mario moving forward. The skit was far from the first time SNL has tapped into video game humor, but mixing Mario Kart and HBO's The Last of Us tone turned out perfect, and it’s clear the production teams went the extra mile.

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In SNL's “Behind The Sketch” feature, several cast veterans, such as Mikey Day, express their satisfaction with being able to live out their childhood dreams on this dark trip to Rainbow Road. What’s most perplexing is witnessing the contrast between each scene as CGI effects are added to make this post-apocalyptic Mushroom Kingdom look as grim as it does. Film unit director Mike Diva singled out this three-minute-long faux teaser as one of SNL's most ambitious productions, as seen in the final product.

SNL made sure to include as many Mario easter eggs as possible. Considering the show’s short production time, the result is even more impressive, and it’s obvious Pascal and the rest of the cast had a blast filming it. The HBO Mario Kart trailer stars Pascal as Mario, Chloe Fineman as Princess Ellie Peach, Day as Luigi, Kenan Thompson as Bowser, and season 48 newcomer Marcello Hernandez as a bisexual Toad.

The jokes in this would-be HBO's Mario Kart land include Pascal's obsession with eating mushrooms to “feel big” and the signature catchphrases from each Mario character. Although not seen in SNL's behind-the-scenes footage, even the music was perfectly tailored to combine classic Mario melodies with The Last of Us' moody guitar sounds.

Given Mario Kart's popularity among all ages, it’s no coincidence this sketch did so well for SNL because, aside from The Super Mario Bros. Movie having plenty of hype going for it, the love and attention to detail in the sketch is the type of thing Nintendo fans love to see. Plus, having the star of The Mandalorian and The Last of Us as Mario doesn't hurt.

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Source: SNL | YouTube