Few shows are as important to Netflix as his adaptation of “one piece”, a popular manga written by Eiichiro Oda with which he hopes to end his losing streak of ‘live-action’ adaptations that include properties such as “Death Note”, “Full Metal Alchemist” and, more recently, “Cowboy Bebop”.
For those unfamiliar with the phenomenon that is “One Piece”, the manga follows the adventures of Luffy D. Monkey, a young man with the ability to manipulate his body as if it were made of rubber who has the dream of becoming the king of the pirates and find the greatest treasure in the world, known as the One Piece. For that he will recruit a crew made up of the swordsman Roronoa Zoro, the navigator Nami, the cook Sanji and the sniper Usopp in an adventure that will take them through the most dangerous oceans in the world. With over 100 published volumes and a thousand published anime episodes, it is without a doubt one of the most popular Japanese franchises of all time.
The streaming giant has spared no effort on this show and while it has not revealed numbers, it is estimated that it has invested around US$100 million in the 10-part series, making it the largest foreign production filmed in South Africa. These efforts have also translated into the actors who will star in the story, featuring a multicultural cast of up-and-coming artists. In this note we see who they are and where you might remember seeing them.
Inaki Godoy / Monkey D. Luffy
Born on August 25, 2003, Iñaki Godoy is a young actor from Mexico City. According to the page Sensacine Mexico, Godoy began his acting training before he was five years old studying at the Stage Company school of performing arts.
After starting to work professionally at the age of 11 – according to an interview with Vanity Teen -, Godoy had his first television appearance with a minor role in the pilot of the series “Blue Demon” in 2016. Since then Godoy has maintained a presence on television with recurring appearances in shows such as “La querida del Centauro” – where he plays Amadeo ‘El Gato’ – and “Without fear of the truth”, where he plays El Chinos. In 2020 he had his film debut as part of the cast of “¡Ánimo youth!” by director Carlos Armella.
Iñaki Godoy has also participated in two series for Netflix. The first was the thriller “Who Killed Sara?” where he acted as Bruno, the stepson of Rodolfo Lazcano (Alejandro Nones). His other show was as one of the protagonists of “The Imperfects”, a science fiction series where the young actor plays Juan Ruiz, a comic book artist who acquires the power to become a chupacabra through an experiment. Both series are available on the aforementioned streaming platform.
Although we have not been able to see Iñaki Godoy act as Luffy so far, we can at least determine that he is taking his role very seriously, mentioning in a recent interview that playing this much-loved character “it is one of the greatest honors of my career and i know this experience will stay with me forever regardless of the outcome.”
“I hope the fans enjoy the ‘live-action’ as much as I am enjoying working on it. This series is making me grow as an actor and as a person. I’m nervous, but I’m much more excited.” he added.
Mackenyu / Roronoa Zoro
Mackenyu Maeda, better known by his first name, is a Japanese American actor born on November 16, 1996 and the son of action hero Sonny Chiba – primarily remembered in the West for the cult movie “The Street Fighter” and his role as Hattori Hanzō in “Kill Bill”.
Mackenyu began his acting career in 2015, with minor roles in the Japanese series “Yume wo Ataeru” and participation in films such as “Tadaima”, “Kamen Rider Drive: Surprise Future” and “Take a Chance”, the latter where he had the main role.
Mackenyu is a veteran of live-action manga adaptations, with participation in films such as the “Chihayafuru” trilogy, “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable”, “Tokyo Ghoul”, “Ruroni Kenshin” and “Full Metal Alchemist”, in the latter playing the antihero Scar. Meanwhile he has also participated in Western productions such as “Pacific Rim: Uprising”.
In addition to playing the swordsman Roronoa Zoro in “One Piece,” Mackenyu will also take on the lead role in the “Saint Seiya” / “Knights of the Zodiac” adaptation scheduled for 2023.
Jacob Gibson / Usopp
Born in 1996, Jacob Gibson is a California native actor, a student of the prestigious CalArts university. His acting career started with the short film “Perception of Superheroes” in 2016, although his first television appearance was in 2018 in a chapter of the medical drama “The Resident”.
Since then he has participated with minor roles in series such as “All Rise” and “Grey’s Anatomy” -both in 2019-, as well as a recurring role on the drama “Greenleaf” for the Oprah Winfrey Network.
In addition to his television appearances, Gibson has also dabbled in theater, including a leading role in the playThe Carolyn Bryant Project” in 2018. Meanwhile, his film debut will have to wait until the thriller “Blairsden” – filmed in 2017 – is finally released.
Regarding his performance in “One Piece”, Gibson has expressed his complete admiration for the character that he has had to embody.
“I struggle to find the words in a momentous moment like this, but everything comes with time. For now and forever begins and ends with gratitude. I am overwhelmed with a sense of purpose amidst all of this. This project, this story, this character. It is one of the greatest honors of my life to bring Usopp to life.”, he wrote in your Instagram account in November 2021.
Emily RuddNami
Emily Ellen Rudd is a model and actress born on February 24, 1993 in Saint Paul, Minnesota (USA). Despite her name, she is not related to renowned actor Paul Rudd.
Emily Rudd began her passion for acting while studying at Minnesota’s St. Paul High School and began her professional career by appearing in various music videos such as “Three Headed Woman” for Boy & Bear in 2013 and 3LAU’s “We Came to Bang” on 2014 and “Let Me Love You” for DJ Snake and Justin Bieber in 2016.
His television career began with a leading role in the TV movie “Sea Change” in 2017, later appearing in Prime Video series such as “Electric Dreams” and “The Romanoffs” -both in 2018- and “Hunters” in 2020. . But his biggest role to date was a leading role in Netflix’s “Fear Street” trilogy.
Regarding his portrayal of Nami, Rudd wrote on his Instagram: “What a crazy and wonderful year this has been, I am full of gratitude and big, ghibli-esque tears. Thank you @onepiecenetflix and everyone involved for making this one of the most special experiences of my life and career, and thank you all for trusting and supporting me to bring our girl to life 🍊 this dream role was a much bigger dream of what I never would have imagined. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, I love you”.
Taz Skylar / Sanji
Born on December 5, 1995 in the Canary Islands (Spain) to a Lebanese father and a British mother, Taz Skylar (Taz Yassin) is an actor and screenwriter currently based in the United Kingdom. known for being one of the writers of the award-winning play “WARHEADS” (2019), which is about a soldier’s experience with post-traumatic stress.
His acting career began in 2015 with the short film “Venom”, to later have his film debut in the film “The Kill Team” by Dan Krauss in 2019. Since then he has participated in other films such as “Lie Low” (2019), “ Villain” (2020), “The Deal” (2022) and series like “The Lazarus Project” (2022). His next project is the film “Gassed Up”, in which he is also a screenwriter.
Skylar is also a well-known figure in British theater and aside from her aforementioned feature debut “WARHEADS” she has worked in such stage productions as Agatha Christie’s “Witness For the Prosecution” and Dean Devlin’s “The Deal”.
In an interview with Night Magazine, Skylar pointed out the coincidence that unites him with the character of Sanji. “Sanji is a person who had to fend for himself from a very young age and he did so by becoming a master of his craft. Interestingly, I have lived a similar life”he claimed. “I left home at fifteen and became an apprentice surfboard builder. Which resembles Sanji’s mentor Zeff in one way or another. And I learned to fend for myself based on trial and error. This was all before I started acting and writing. His trauma and his reasons for leaving are what drive his behavior as an adult. I have my own things that I ran away from that drive my own behavior now.”
Additionally, Skylar noted that her role in the series helped him deal with some mental health issues. “Thanks to @onepiecenetflix for the opportunity to test me beyond what I thought possible. I was struggling a lot with my mental health when I came to this huge new chapter. I didn’t really know which way was up or where I sat in the middle of all this. But now I’m on the other side. I feel reborn as an adult.”
In addition to her acting career, Skylar has an NGO called Anyone can write, which offers free classes to low-income aspiring writers to teach the craft.