Let's spotlight the cast of the live-action adaptation of the renowned anime "One Piece." Emily Rudd, bringing Nami to life, shares her profound connection with the role. Taz Skylar, embodying Sanji, delves into his culinary passion and personal struggles. Nicole Fortuin, as Ririka, balances acting with social advocacy. Chioma Umeala, portraying Nojiko, discusses her rigorous training. Jeff Ward's journey to playing Buggy The Clown reveals his dedication to acting. Vincent Regan and Peter Gadiot, as Monkey D. Carp and Shanks respectively, discuss their character-building techniques. Read on.
1. Emily Rudd
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Emily Rudd talked about playing Nami to Decider. “I have never wanted anything more in my entire life. To actually be able to live it is… I truly can’t put it into words. I feel like I’m done. What could possibly be next? If I had to stop here, I’d be like, ‘This is good enough for me.’ I’m really proud of the show we made. We made a nerd show — a good nerd show. A show made by nerds, for nerds.
2. Taz Skylar
Taz Skylar plays Sanji on the show. He talked about learning to cook and his relationship with food to Nuit Magazine. “My relationship with food and cooking is a nuanced one. I originally come from a Mediterranean country, so food is part of the culture in a very strong way. I always loved food and cooking. But through my early twenties I went through some pretty severe eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia. And so I had to completely emotionally detach myself from food to get through it. For those who have had those disorders or even the ones going through it in some way now, you soon learn that it’s not something you can ever fully get rid of once you’ve had it… The best you can hope for is to manage it. And I do now. I’m proud of how far I’ve come in handling the demons that pushed me into the disorders in the first place. And now with Sanji I get to reconnect with food in a way that’s about finding the joy & pleasure in feeding others. Making sure that everyone is well fed. And finding new ways to even make the food I’ve been used to eating myself, taste and look better.”
3. Nicole Fortuin
Nicole Fortuin plays Ririka on the show, and she’s also a spokeswoman for different charities. “I recently did two PSA’s,” she told Sarafina Magazine. “One was for Brother’s For Life #RapeStopsWithMe. Everyone is aware of the violence that is happening across the world but in South Africa as well. I had always been really fascinated by what happens in people’s minds and in men’s minds especially because often I am really confused by how people operate and what makes it ok for them. I guess the throughline is my interest in other people but their campaign is about men and men making correct choices and being responsible.”
4. Chioma Umeala
In addition to starring as Nojiko in One Piece, Chioma Umeala also appeared in the 2022 film The Woman King. She talked about training for the role to Fifty Four Magazine. “We had strength and conditioning for an hour at the beginning of the day. We would then travel to stunt training for three hours a day, then we’d break for lunch, and the next two hours would be choreography and dance rehearsals because there are quite a few dances in the film. We also ate according to a meal plan and were very healthy.”
5. Jeff Ward
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Jeff Ward plays Buggy The Clown on the show. He talked about how he became an actor to Men’s Fashion Post. “I did my first professional job when I was 14, I was in To Kill a Mockingbird, I played Jem at the Ford's Theater in Washington DC, and that was unfortunately cut short because it was in 2001 and 9/11 happened. So that was kind of crazy... I was in New York City on 9/11, rehearsing that play and then that obviously stopped and I ended up not acting for a while. When I was 16, I played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and it was in an outdoor theater. And I remember during that performance, I was like, ‘Yeah, I think I want to do this. I think I want to make my life about this.’”
6. Vincent Regan
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Vincent Regan plays Monkey D. Carp on the show. He talked about how he approaches roles in an interview with Channel 4. “A lot of times actors make choices where they want to be liked and it’s not necessarily the characters choice, it is the actor’s choice. It is important that actors take choices that don’t put their characters in a good light. What I like, as a member of the audience, is when you come across a character you don’t like, but as the drama continues, you realise it is just who they are, and you warm to them and you like them. I like characters who reveal themselves over the course of the drama.”
7. Peter Gadiot
Peter Gadiot plays the recurring role of Shanks. He talked about how he approaches playing a role to Monrowe Magazine. “I always think in that kind of detail and that’s why I’ve enjoyed playing as broad a range of characters and I possibly can—because of the different energies and the different tempos that a character has; how they relate to objects, how they touch things, how they walk, and how they relate to different people and situations.”
8. Langley Kirkwood
Langley Kirkwood plays Axe Hand Morgan on the show. In addition to being an actor, Kirkwood competes in triathlons. He shared some of his fitness secrets in an interview with Cape Town Guy. Kirkwood’s favorite workouts are, “Swimming in the ocean and running on the trails of Table Mountain.” He also says that he works out consistently. “Usually 6 days a week. Twice a day if I’m training for a race and if work allows.”
9. McKinley Belcher lll
McKinley Belcher lll plays the recurring role of Arlong. He also appeared in the PBS civil war drama, Mercy Street, as a free black man, Samuel Diggs. Belcher talked about the importance of the role and series to GardenandGun.com. “The Civil War was a pivotal point for our country, and it in many ways defines who we are. It’s one of those moments in our history where we made a concerted effort to discuss ‘who are we? And who do we want to be?’ Playing Samuel Diggs, I feel like he’s constantly in flux, up against how people perceive him. And as a black man in America, I think in 2016 that is something incredibly relevant—a lot of the conversations people are having around Black Lives Matter are about preconceived notions, and about how, particularly, young black men are perceived.”
10. Aiden Scott
Aiden Scott plays Helmeppo on the show. He loves spending time outside. One thing Scott does to stay in shape is going on hikes. He shared this photo on Instagram of himself on a hike, captioning it, “Boy dog taken by girl dog.” Hiking is a great way to get vitamin D, and is a good cardiovascular exercise.
11. Celeste Loots
Celeste Loots plays the recurring role Kaya on the show. She loves doing a lot of outdoor activities and shares them on Instagram. Loots shared this photo of herself and a friend hiking. She captioned it, “Laughing at Meg, trying to see a whale or sniffing my armpit? Who cares, it’s pretty outside!!” She also posted this photo of herself swimming, captioning it, “Where do you summer.”