Netflix's OnePiece star Emily Rudd explains a costume change for protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his iconic sandals. 'Sandals unfortunately are not the safest footwear to do stunt work in, and we didn't want y'all to miss out on the amazing work.'
Netflix’s One Piece star Emily Rudd explains a costume change in the live-action poster. Based off of the widely popular manga of the same name, the first American live-action version was first announced in 2017 as a way to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary. Production commenced in March 2021 after a hiatus due to the pandemic, followed by the announcement of the primary “Straw Hat Pirates” cast in November.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY Rudd, who portrays Nami in the live-action series, explains a costume change in the latest Netflix poster promoting One Piece, as reposted via One Piece Netflix Fan on Twitter. In response to a fan question about why the poster features Iñaki Godoy’s Monkey D. Luffy wearing shoes, the actor says she and her co-stars tried to do as much of their own stunt work as possible, with any gaps filled in by their “beyond talented” stunt team. She adds that the footwear allowed Godoy to show off more of his stunt skills, pointing out that sandals — which Luffy famously dons in the original manga and anime series — are not safe for performing such feats.
However, One Piece’s potential has been noted by the fact that Tomorrow Studios and manga publisher Shueisha are producing the series; manga artist Eiichiro Oda is also serving as an executive producer. With the original creators in stow, One Piece can stay faithful to its source material and use that inspiration to depict something unique to the live-action format.