One Piece star Emily Rudd has been one of the most loved actors in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the series for the portrayal of her character Nami. In Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the popular anime and manga, Rudd plays Nami, the navigator of Luffy’s Straw Hat crew and a former member of the Arlong Pirates. She has claimed numerous times that anime has shaped her into the person she is now. She grew up watching Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, and, most notably, Sailor Moon, so she has a long history with anime and manga.
But before the actor got the fame from the series, Rudd was already a well-established actor and bagged some decent roles during her career as an actress. That was not always the case. Rudd had to go through some tough times to reach her current level of success.
The Start of Emily Rudd’s Career
In an interview with Collider, Rudd explained her exhausting journey towards her goal of acting. The problems she had to go through and her first job. She said:
“A music video was my first acting project out here in LA and at the time, I was working two jobs and I had to work the next day and it was an overnight shoot. I think I got paid $100 maybe for 12 hours of work overnight. And I was almost not gonna do it and then my family was like, ‘You went to LA to act. Just do it! You can sleep when you’re dead!’ And so I did it, and from that, the director loved me and he’s used me for a bunch of other ones, the casting director for that used me for a bunch of other ones, and so it kind of became my thing.”
“I just sort of fell into it for a good year where I was just doing music videos and it was a fun way to keep doing what I loved and make money. It ended up being a lot of fun. It wasn’t anything I expected, but I enjoyed it.”
Rudd’s initial experience in LA was filled with struggles, unlike any other actor. She had to work two jobs just to make ends meet, but a little extra effort from her resulted in getting her first music video and how it became a fun activity, till she started getting other offers.
Read More: “It’s a challenge for sure”: ‘One Piece’ Season 2 May Finally Bring One Fan Favorite Character
Emily Rudd’s Fears While Entering the Entertainment World
Rudd explained how she was terrified of coming to LA because she had no film or television background and the only experience she had was a little bit of theatre that she did back home.
“I didn’t come from a film and television background. I grew up in a very small town in half Minnesota, half Wisconsin, and I just did theater. And so I didn’t have any experience in front of the camera and so that was a wonderful way to sort of dip my toes in, get comfortable, understand how things work on sets so that when I got the bigger opportunities, the film and television opportunities, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m not completely out of my depth here.’”
Rudd’s journey is the perfect example of how hard work and a little bit of nudge can help you reach a little closer to your dreams and maybe make your way to success.
Read More: One Piece: 5 Conqueror Haki Users Who Are Still Far More Powerful Than Gear 5 Luffy
Source: Collider
