At first, when Netflix’s One Piece live-action was announced, it filled the entire fandom with doubt and skepticism because of the negative impression that anime adaptations had left among the community. However, when the show was released, it filled the Otaku community with praise that elevated its status and made it the only successful adaptation work.
While being true to the source material and a great animation added to the series being so infectiously popular, what made the work so adored was how its cast members loved Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus. The perfect example of this notion would be Iñaki Godoy, who portrays the role of Monkey D. Luffy in the series.
The actor has often been vocal about his love for the show and its voice actors. However, it looks like Godoy has a serious competitor from Michael Dorman, the man who portrayed the role of Gol D. Roger in the series. Recently, he sat down in an interview and expressed how the series played an exceptional role in his life.
Gol D. Roger’s Adoration For One Piece Surpasses Iñaki Godoy
Iñaki Godoy, who portrayed the role of Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece live-action, has often been vocal about his love for the show, and he has received the highest form of respect from Mayumi Tanaka, the Japanese voice actor of the Straw Hat Captain. The actor has always made an active effort to ensure that fans are attracted to the show.
Even his actions were proven when he apologized to the OP community for not joining the celebrations on August 10th, 2024, and even had a heartfelt message for them that too in Japanese. However, it looks like Michael Dorman is an equally big fan of the show and how the role of Gol D. Roger was quite special to him.
Recently, while sitting for an exclusive interview with Man of Many, Dorman got candid on how portraying the role of the former Pirate King was something special and how he had a special connection to the anime.
He said,
One Piece was a book that I got my son, all of them actually, and it was the first thing that he ever read. That experience was so fun. It’s so short, so brief, but I get to play the character that starts the whole thing off. He’s the Pirate King. He’s the one that sparks the adventure. And yeah, good people, beautiful time, great space in the world. It was a wonderful experience.
He continued how initially he was asked to portray some other role in the adaptation that would “take a few months,” which made him “respectfully decline” the opportunity to work in the show, which was so dear to his son.
Initially, when I got the call from (the One Piece producers) asking if I’d be able to come and play, they wanted me to do a role that would take a few months. I just didn’t have the time, and it was a “respectfully decline” even though I wished that I could have had that opportunity to go and do something that my son loves so much.
Nevertheless, life had other plans for him, so the producers came back to Dorman and asked him, “Well, what time do you have?” Thus, allowing the actor to work in the series allowed him to become an icon among the fandom and the greatest dad for his son.
Iñaki Godoy Gets Candid on Not Playing the Role of Monkey D. Luffy
In 2023, the world fell for the charm of the young Mexican actor, Iñaki Godoy, who portrayed the role of Monkey D. Luffy in the Netflix adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s stellar work. Though he had been part of other projects before, he was often overlooked.
However, the dream role changed everything for him, which has made him one of the most recognized faces in the world. While fans call Godoy the real-life Luffy for his active efforts to put a smile on everyone’s faces, his breakdown about the role might just break the hearts of the fans.
During an exclusive interview with FullHakiMarco, the actor got candid on how playing the role made so much sense to him and opened up about his future plans with the franchise. He said,
I am happy to play Luffy and will play Luffy for as long as it makes sense. Whatever time it takes, if I am playing Luffy is because I am happy to play him, I want to play him, and it makes sense for me to play him.
Though it remains uncertain about Godoy’s future as the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, what’s certain is that the anime is planning something big as it went on a 6-month long hiatus, where fans are persuading non-OP viewers to start watching the show.
One Piece live-action and the anime can be streamed on Netflix.
