Netflix released a live-action series based on the popular anime and manga, One Piece, on August 31st. This series focuses on the early adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew in the East Blue Saga.
One of the most important characters in Season 1 is “Nami,” serving as the mapmaker and navigator for Luffy’s crew, the Straw Hat Pirates. In the beginning, she had a secret alliance with the villainous Arlong and his fish-men because she was trying to protect her family and village.
However, with the help of Luffy and his crew, they eventually defeated Arlong in the final episode of One Piece Season 1. The primary reason for the success of the One Piece live-action is its dedicated cast.
One of the most dedicated cast members is Emily Rudd, the actress who plays the character Nami in the Netflix live-action series One Piece, prepared for her role by imitating the character long before the series was announced.
Emily Rudd’s Dedication to Becoming Nami in Netflix’s One Piece
The actress Emily Rudd has been dedicated to portraying Nami in One Piece for a long time. She has been working towards this goal with a lot of determination and passion. It’s not something she decided on a whim; it’s a well-thought-out dream that she has pursued tirelessly.
According to ComicBook, Rudd said that as soon as she heard Netflix was making a live-action TV show, she started promoting herself as a potential actor for the character Nami.
“One Piece is one of my favorite manga and I’ve always felt drawn to Nami in particular,” she said. “When I heard they were making a live-action series, I started not-so-secretly playing the long game in lobbying for this role for three years. I colored my hair red and got it cut just like Nami’s. I posted a video of myself when I was younger tumbling and doing backflips, things like that.”
She further added:
“I was just trying my hardest to get anyone who might notice to really see me as Nami. So, to audition finally, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I did it! I can’t believe I did it. What timeline am I in? How did I get so lucky?’ It was crazy. I got to work my dream job.”
The actor further stated that she worked really hard to be like Nami and tried to get as many people as possible to choose her for the role of the popular navigator.
The Actress was Born to be Nami
Rudd said she felt a connection to Nami’s character because she’s used to being a navigator in her daily life. She mentioned she’s good at reading maps and planning routes, thanks to her childhood camping trips in remote places where the bathroom was just a hole in the ground in the forest. She jokingly said she was “born to be Nami.”
Certainly! This can be one aspect of why people love the One Piece project so much, because of nostalgia.
Some cast members, like the 30-year-old actress Rudd, grew up loving One Piece. She was a fan of the manga even before getting her role in Netflix’s One Piece. This shows how much she cares about the series and how she cleverly got the role of Nami.
Source: ComicBook
