John Leguizamo Jokes About His New Movie vs. ‘Tremendous Mario Bros.’ (Unique)

John Leguizamo is leveraging an early onscreen talent for his newest function!

In his new film Bob Trevino Likes It, the 64-year-old actor performs the titular Bob, whom a younger lady named Lily (Barbie Ferreira) pals on Fb pondering he’s her estranged father Robert Trevino (French Stewart).

Impressed by true occasions from author/director Tracie Laymon‘s life, the story sees Lily and Bob strike up an unlikely but poignant on-line friendship — which kicks off in particular person when Bob, who works in building, stops by Lily’s home to assist her repair a defective bathroom.

Talking with PEOPLE in regards to the film, which premiered on the 2025 SXSW Movie & TV Competition in Austin, Texas, Leguizamo jokes that he “bought my plumbing abilities from” taking part in Luigi in 1993’s live-action Tremendous Mario Bros. film, which noticed him reverse the late Bob Hoskins as Mario.

“It was the primary time that they had been doing a online game changed into a film. No person was doing that sort of stuff,” Leguizamo recollects, praising the sci-fi fantasy cult traditional’s administrators, Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. “Now all people’s doing it.”

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Talking to how he and Euphoria actress Ferreira, 28, associated in actual life, Leguizamo says, “We’re each Latinos and we linked on that, and we’re each from Queens, and I feel there was so much to attach with.”

“Barbie’s extremely partaking in presence, so she’s a blast to be with it doesn’t matter what,” he provides. “And we additionally knew, nearly as good actors, you gotta work on that relationship. You possibly can’t faux it; you must create it off-camera, in order that it slides into the on-camera work you are doing.”

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Leguizamo — who’s dad to daughter Allegra, born in 1999, and son Lucas, born in 2000, with spouse of 21 years Justine Maurer — additionally shared with PEOPLE how his personal expertise as a mother or father in actual life helped form his character.

“Having youngsters modifications you fully for the remainder of your life and it is a reward that retains on giving, however you additionally fear for the remainder of your life,” he says. “So with Bob Trevino, it was simple to create this loneliness that this man had, as a result of I might simply image myself if I would by no means had youngsters now, I’d miss them a lot that I’d be lonely.”

“In order that’s the way it sort of created the character having this gap in his life, and that is why he desires to be form of this surrogate father for Lily,” Leguizamo continues.

As for the way the function of Bob has made him a “higher mother or father” in actual life, the actor, comic and activist provides, “Studying from Bob Trevino is studying that you do not know the whole lot. You do not have to know the whole lot. You simply bought to be there.”

Bob Trevino Likes It opens in choose theaters in Los Angeles and New York Metropolis on Friday, March 21, with a wider launch on March 28.