The Live Action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s beloved manga and one of the most anticipated shows on Netflix debuted on August 31. One Piece Live Action covers the tales of Luffy and the Straw Hats sailing towards the treacherous Grand Line to find the legendary treasure known as the One Piece. Even though the Netflix series remained loyal to the source material, there were several noticeable distinctions that veteran One Piece followers were able to pick up.
The main cast consists of Godoy (Luffy), Emily Rudd (Nami), Mackenyu (Zoro), Jacob Romero (Usopp), and Taz Skylar (Sanji). Inaki Godoy gave an insight into how he prepared himself for Luffy’s character in a recent interview with Teen Vogue. He explained his perception of Luffy as a silly but kind-hearted dreamer.
Also Read: 5 Best Animes of Eiichiro Oda, The Man Behind ‘One Piece’
What did Inaki Godoy do differently for his role as Luffy in One Piece Live Action?
Inaki Godoy talked about a spectrum of things regarding his role as Luffy in the live-action One Piece adaptation in an interview with Teen Vogue. He traced through several aspects of the character, but there was something that Godoy didn’t want to recreate. He refrained from emulating how Luffy’s voice is done in the anime by Mayumi Tanaka.
He told Teen Vogue,
“I watched the anime. I mainly saw the Japanese dub. Mayumi Tanaka has been voicing Luffy for a very long time, since 1999. And what she has done is amazing. Amazing. And I would never try to replicate any of that. Because that’s her own thing. She created her own version of this character, and I have to do my own thing with the live-action too. So, y’know, more than paying attention to what the dub actors were doing, I really just paid attention to what the character was all about.”
Godoy said that his natural voice is deeper and he has to pitch it several layers above while voicing Luffy. Even the Mangaka, Eiichiro Oda himself, was impressed by the actor’s portrayal of Luffy and expressed that he couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the role.
How did Inaki Godoy prepare for his role in Netflix’s One Piece?
Inaki Godoy told Teen Vogue how he perceived Luffy,
“Watching the anime, I immediately knew who this guy was; he sees someone who has been mistreated. He doesn’t really know them, but he decides to help them, and when he does, he does it with a smile.”
Godoy kept in mind to balance Luffy’s optimistic side with his thoughtful and caring side. He further explained,
“He [Luffy] doesn’t speak too much. He listens a lot. To me it felt like Luffy was an optimistic dreamer who cares about his friends…and will do anything to achieve his dreams. So understanding that was a key factor for me to play this character.”
Godoy was rather diligent during the filming of this series as he used to keep a journal in which he would note down the major moments from each episode. This helped him to gain an insight into the character’s motivations and aims.
Source: Teen Vogue
