Talking to Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Cast Was Enough To Win Me Over

In the penthouse of Netflix’s New York City offices on Thursday morning last week, Iñaki Godoy was suddenly ushered in front of a small group of reporters, the first of Netflix’s One Piece’s core group of five actors asked to describe their characters—in Godoy’s case, the protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. “He’s optimistic. He means a lot to me,” Godoy said. “It was a really hard role to play, but …” Godoy paused slightly and stood up straight, “I think I did a good job.”

Being in a room with all five members of the upcoming live-action anime adaptation’s main cast—which also includes Emily Rudd as Nami, Mackenyu Arata as Zoro, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji—was delightful. I told Gibson that I was trying to think of some questions on the fly, and Gibson countered, “We can also just hang out.”

The experience, as a fan of One Piece, was also bizarre. After the actors’ time had run out, I chatted with some other writers, many of whom were wearing little nods of One Piece fandom in their outfits. We had all come to the same conclusion: Each of these actors gives off uncannily similar vibes to their characters.

Related: The 10 Best One Piece Characters on Attack of the Fanboy

For example, Skylar was effortlessly holding court with a circle of reporters. He was exceedingly friendly, charming, and approachable—he suggested everyone do ice breakers (the group settled on favorite ice cream flavor and favorite fruit). Halfway through this delightful exercise, I realized Sanji’s actor had succeeded in surrounding himself almost entirely with women. I pointed this out, and Skylar fell sideways onto the couch, doubled over in laughter.

These accidental serendipities kept happening. An event organizer came by while I was chatting with Gibson to ask who I hadn’t spoken with yet, and we all realized Mackenyu was not in the room. Gibson was right there: “Zoro always gets lost.” (And lost he stayed—I didn’t get the chance to chat with him.)

And then, of course, there’s Godoy. Every video I’ve seen of Godoy from Netflix’s social media and teasers has made me think, “Damn, that guy really gives off Luffy vibes.” Standing in person with Godoy, attempting to scavenge questions from my brain for a 1-on-1 interview I was not expecting, I had a weird little starstruck moment. Godoy is confident and direct. He conversed with me at very close range. He looks you right in the eye when he talks to you. He’s affable but doesn’t bullshit. And I, a goddamn adult and supposed professional, had a voice in my head the whole time going, “Holy shit, it’s Luffy!!“

Getting the gig

For real, Godoy doesn’t bullshit. Not every one of the adaptation’s core actors grew up a One Piece fan. Mackenyu is Japanese-American, and so was well acquainted with the hype. Zoro was always his favorite character. Emily Rudd knew exactly the number of manga chapters and anime episodes currently out (“subs not dubs”). We wondered what we were going to do while the manga’s on a four-week break. We talked about the moment in Arlong Park when we both knew we loved One Piece. “I wanted to make sure we got that right,” she told me earnestly.

Godoy, however, had a different entry point. “I knew One Piece because I’m very into comic books, video games … I specifically knew Luffy from a video game I used to play at my computer class,” he told me, bringing me viscerally back to a middle school vibe I hadn’t thought about in ages. “It was an online video game, and Luffy was one of the playable characters. I used to know him as, ‘Oh yeah, that’s the guy with the crazy smile.’ ”

Gibson, too, grew up getting One Piece love from his friends. He specifically mentioned “friends’ tattoos.”

Godoy went on to tell me about his process in landing the role—which, honestly, is perhaps the most Luffy-like way to land a major role that I could possibly imagine. “I got my audition for One Piece—I didn’t know it was for One Piece at first. As soon as I knew it was for One Piece, I sat down, I put on this YouTube video, and it was like, ‘Who is Monkey D. Luffy? Let’s analyze this,’ … and then I did my callback, and then I got the role! So thank you to that one YouTuber who made that amazing video analyzing the character, because—hey, it helped me out with my audition, dude! Thanks!”

Dedication

I asked Godoy about his experiences reading One Piece after getting the role. “I didn’t see the whole thing, or read the whole thing, I just read enough so I could understand the essence of who Luffy was,” he said matter-of-factly. “And as soon as I got that, I was like—well, I understand what this character is all about. He’s a big dreamer, he’s optimistic, he loves meat, he has a cool straw hat, he knows what sacrifice is all about, and he would do anything for his friends. So I know that, I can do my own thing with this now. So that was my process.”

Again—train right until you can make it your own. The parallels between Godoy and Luffy are readily apparent.

Emily Rudd’s obvious and genuine excitement made her the “everyfan” of the cast. Seeing her enthusiasm, you’re naturally driven to congratulate her on the role. Rudd was told that the “help me” scene (if you know, you know) was screened for One Piece mangaka Eiichiro Oda, and his response was simply, “It’s perfect.” Just in reliving that moment, Rudd was clearly emotional and aghast. “I’m dead,” she said. “Put me to rest. That’s it. It’s over.”

Gibson, meanwhile, confided, “I was trying to find ways to sneak [Usopp Hammer] in there. And Usopp Rubber Band of Doom. I was trying to sneak that one in there, too.” Gibson was excited and optimistic about his prospects, though. “Eyes on the prize for that one! I’m definitely excited about the Alabasta arc.” (Which has not been green-lit. But!)

This is all just getting your mind into the character. Your body is another matter. And the cast of One Piece worked hard in that regard. Skylar described the cast’s training routine (at the behest of Geeks of Color’s Joshua Mackey). “It started with an hour a day. We then did 2, then went up to 3, then we needed an extra trainer … and it was clear it still wasn’t enough.” They brought in more trainers. Skylar still has lessons with a black-belt on Zoom every single day, because he was determined to do all his own stunts and fights. And he did it—with the help of a lot of knee braces, copious stretching, and muscle-aid sprays that smelled of oregano.

Between all the physical training (about ten hours a day), Skylar would practice his cooking skills with the production’s chef by helping to prepare dinner for the entire cast and crew. “I’d rehearse dishes with that chef. We’d rehearse plating, we’d rehearse sautéeing skills, knife skills—we’d cook huge batches of meals [and] take it to everybody.” To make things extra natural, Skylar did all this while in Sanji’s chef outfit.

Throughout the whole event, the sense of care, dedication, respect, and joy given to this series … as a fan, you couldn’t help but feel comforted.

For the love of One Piece

During the teaser screening shown to press in attendance (and during supplemental footage shown by Netflix), the cast was cheering each other on in the corner. There was an obvious warmth and excitement exuding from them. “It means a lot to us,” Gibson told me, “and we’re very clear how much this means to so many people in the world. [We] just can’t help but have that energy channel through us.”

In his introduction of the trailer to the press, Netflix director of original series Ted Biaselli also made clear that he was aware exactly how big One Piece is. That huge, global community of “nakama” is one of the most beautiful aspects of being a fan of the series. But, one imagines, it could also be a lot of pressure for the creatives delivering a risky-seeming adaptation.

So, I asked Godoy how he was feeling, and his answer perfectly spoke to how One Piece is, at the end of the day, a series about finding your north star to get through adversity. “Of course there’s a big pressure, because you want to honor this character, and you want to honor Mr. Eiichiro Oda and the world, you know? It’s been going on for so long … and there’s so many people who have grown with this story.”

Godoy continued, “But, if there’s one thing that Luffy has taught me throughout the time that I’ve played him, it’s that you gotta find a way to have fun … That’s why I got into acting. That’s why Luffy goes on adventures. Of course it’s hard. There’s challenges. But it’s fun! There was pressure, there were insecurities … but it was also a lot of fun. I got into acting because I love it, and I love playing Luffy. He brings me joy. So I just focused on having fun. That was my main goal.”

Friends? I don’t think we could have possibly found a better Luffy, or a better core cast in general.

(featured image: Netflix)