One Piece’s live-action announcement was certainly surprising. Given the history of live-action movies and series, especially in the anime genre, fans initially had their expectations low, and there was a general belief that the Netflix series would be another disappointment.
Yet, surprisingly and fortunately, the series was an immense success. Not only did the series remain true to the source, but it was the casting and actors who stole the spotlight. While actors like Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, and others impressed fans with their talents, Taz Skylar as Sanji stole the show, with many fans declaring his Sanji better than the anime’s version. In a recent appearance, the actor revealed how the negative comments regarding his casting really pushed him to the extreme.
Taz Skylar Reveals How Negative Reactions to His One Piece Casting Affected Him
Taz Skylar, a Spanish and English actor, has only appeared in a handful of small films and features. Coming from basically nothing, the actor has immense gratitude for One Piece for giving him his first major and also breakthrough role.
Not only does Skylar as Vinsmoke Sanji steal the spotlight, but his incredible martial arts skills have earned him immense praise. However, when he was first cast, the fans of the anime were brutal to him, berating his casting and acting. In a recent appearance at the Paris Fan Festival (via Roster Con), Skylar revealed how the negative criticism prompted him to do his absolute best, a feat that he passed in with flying colors.
“When I first started trying to kick… that was the first one that really hurt my feelings because I admittedly came from nothing… I wanted to do my best… There was a lot negativity there. And I remember kind of scrolling through and thinking like ‘Oh, this is going to be hard.’ Having never dealt with thousands of people saying at the same time ‘This is gonna fail. This is horrible. You are horrible.’ It took me a minute to deal with it and my way of dealing with it was I went and I got two black belts and a blue belt. And now, nobody can say sh*t.”
Hearing him reveal his part of the story, one can feel the hurt Skylar must have dealt. But while any amateur actor would crumble under the weight of such expectations and negativity, Taz Skylar’s commitment and dedication towards the role proves he is not to be messed with.
Martial Arts Wasn’t The Only Thing Taz Skylar Learned For One Piece
Anyone who is a fan of One Piece knows that Taz Skylar’s Sanji is more than just a martial artist and a womanizer (sometimes), he is also an extraordinary chef. While he does some killer moves with his killer kicks, Sanji can also make some killer dishes with his hands too, a reason why he prefers to fight using his legs and not his hands.
Not only did Skylar train for hours to earn his black belts and learn various fighting techniques, but the actor also trained to cook. In an interview, the actor and his cast mates revealed that he was simultaneously training to be a chef and would often cook lunches to practice.
In another promotional video, he can be seen preparing a bluefin sauté for his fellow castmates. Even One Piece producer and director, Marc Jobst, revealed in a tweet how the actor would usually come with bloodied and nipped hands with awesome dishes for the cast and crew to try during the rehearsal.
And as One Piece is to return for a second season, we can hardly wait to see what Taz Shykar has in store for us as Sanji!
One Piece can be streamed on Netflix.
