Upon his debut as the face of Netflix’s live-action One Piece series, Iñaki Godoy impressed everyone with his portrayal of Monkey D. Luffy, the amiable and upbeat leader of the Straw Hat Pirates and a highly recognizable manga and anime character. Despite his extensive experience as a star in Telemundo’s series La querida del Centauro and Netflix’s The Imperfects, the young actor was still relatively unknown.
Nevertheless, it is inspiring to see a 20-year-old succeed to this extent (he presently has over 2.5 million Instagram followers). The fantasy adventure series, which was based on the well-known Japanese manga series, made the Mexican actor extremely popular among youths.
Any actor, though, is aware that a single role does not define a career. Though Godoy is appreciative of the chance to bring Luffy to life, he is aware that he is capable of so much more.
Iñaki Godoy’s Evolution in the Entertainment Industry
The highly successful manga series One Piece by Eiichiro Oda debuted on Netflix in live-action in August of last year. Netflix and Hollywood in general have a long history of failing to get a live-action anime remake off the ground; in fact, one could argue that they are still having trouble.
Nevertheless, One Piece managed to succeed in this endeavor. What else? Netflix even decided to give the show another season after it attracted both new and returning viewers. Season 2 scripts are still being worked on by the creative team, as Variety has learned.
Part of the reason for that success is that the main actor, Iñaki Godoy, beautifully plays the gregarious pirate captain, Monkey D. Luffy. Again, it is amazing that Netflix was able to cast an actor as ideal as Godoy in the role of Luffy, who is a highly exaggerated, cartoonish character.
Without making it look ridiculous, how does one adapt his unbridled enthusiasm for live-action?
Godoy remains a once-in-a-million discovery. How was he chosen? It might have been a challenging task. Ask Oda himself; he told The New York Times in August of last year.
“I thought the biggest challenge was going to be finding somebody to play Luffy. I didn’t expect to find anyone quite like Iñaki Godoy. When I first created Luffy, I drew the most energetic child I could imagine: a normal child on the outside, but not at all normal on the inside. Iñaki was just like the person I drew; he felt absolutely natural.”
Live-action versions of manga or anime can occasionally seem a little tricky to market. How does Godoy personally promote the show to others? He admitted to Gamesradar:
“Well, the show is made by people who love One Piece. We love the manga, we love the anime, we think they’re great. And the only thing we want to do is honor that and get more people into it. We don’t want to do anything else but honor the work of Mr. Oda and get more people to enjoy it too, because it’s such a powerful story. And the whole world should know about it.”
He put everything into trying to convey the essence and spirit of Luffy, including his infectious optimism and firm determination. The effort paid off, as one of the highlights of the live-action adaptation was Godoy’s performance.
After its premiere, the show garnered positive reviews from critics and fans alike for its performances, writing, visual effects, and general fidelity to the source material (see NME, Rotten Tomatoes).
The Next Chapter: Iñaki Godoy’s Continued Journey in Tinseltown
Still, Iñaki Godoy understands the difficulties of breaking through in Hollywood, even with One Piece’s popularity and his role in the series. He understands that his journey is far from over and that getting a prominent role in a big production is just the beginning.
The up-and-coming Mexican actor expressed his wish to “earn my [his] place in the history of performing arts” in an interview with Teen Vogue, saying that what he really wants is “to earn my [his] spot in people’s hearts”.
Godoy reiterated his commitment to the character and the show by saying that even though he has already received offers for several projects, he would still be content to play Luffy for as many seasons as possible. He remarked:
“I can do One Piece for many years and I can be happy, and I don’t need to do a million things.”
Netflix’s One Piece series is helmed by showrunners and creators Matt Owens and Steven Maeda. Along with Godoy, the adaptation stars Taz Skylar as Sanji, Emily Rudd as Nami, and Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro.
Even though Godoy might still feel the need to prove himself to people who watch him perform, he is already a force to be reckoned with.
One Piece is streaming on Netflix.
