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Iñaki Godoy and Charithra Chandran are not fazed by the pressure bubbling up around the return of Netflix’s hit live-action series One Piece. They mainly just want One Piece fans reading this story to think they’re hot.
“We don’t really care about the funny and the interesting,” jokes Chandran, a newcomer for season two, who is talking to Teen Vogue via Zoom from South Africa. Godoy, also on the call, jumps in: “Make sure to like my shirtless scene on all social media platforms.”
After all, fan approval is everything with adaptations—and One Piece followers have been seriously invested in this story since Eiichiro Oda’s original record-breaking manga debuted in 1997. Fans collect trading cards, draw fan art, and write fan fiction. They go on real-life treasure hunts. The themes in the series, which follows a freewheeling adventurer named Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of Straw Hats, inspire them to use pirate iconography in real-life protests around the world.
So, in a sea of ill-fated live-action adaptations, it makes sense that One Piece has risen above the tide. Four short months after its 2023 premiere, One Piece became Netflix’s most-watched TV title for the second half of that year, garnering 71.6 million views. It was quickly renewed for a second season, and now the cast is currently filming the third season in Cape Town.
With creator Oda’s stamp of approval, who serves as an executive producer, the show broke the so-called anime live-action curse, embracing the source material’s whimsy and political core to challenge the mainstream perception of what a successful manga adaptation could be. In doing so, the showrunners and cast have brought new audiences to the show. “I think we created a really accessible way of getting into One Piece for many people,” Godoy says. “As much as I love One Piece, it can be a little bit intimidating.”
The second season of One Piece focuses on the crew’s first few stops as they venture into the Grand Line, the most treacherous stretch of the seas. More than 20 new actors have joined the cast as this part of the journey gets underway.
“The first time around it felt like we were working very much in isolation. It was just us five against the world,” Taz Skylar, who plays Sanji, tells Teen Vogue in an email, referring to the core cast, which also includes Godoy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Emily Rudd as Nami. “When the new crew members joined, it felt like our army grew.”
Among the new crew members is, of course, Chandran, who plays Miss Wednesday, later revealed to be Alabasta princess Nefertari Vivi. Joining one of Netflix’s most-streamed shows during its sophomore season is nothing new for this actor; she did the same on Bridgerton, and became very familiar with the excitement of fervent fandom.
Still, she says, she’s “unaffected” by the specter of it. “I don’t think I realized how big Bridgerton was. I don’t think I realized truly how big One Piece is, how many fans it has,” Chandran tells Teen Vogue as her glam team carefully installs her character’s blue wig, which she has affectionately given a nickname: “When she’s being good, she’s just Vicky, maybe Victoria. And when she’s being naughty, she’s Sticky-Icky-Tricky Vicky. And let me tell you, yesterday she was very naughty.”
Chandran remembers when she filmed her first two-person scene with the boisterous Godoy, who had arrived on set blasting music. His energy immediately rubbed off on her. “What ended up making it in the edit is something that evolved over time,” she says of that first interrogation scene between them. “We were both playing it, in the first few takes, quite differently, and then it really let us settle into the character. We both found that we could play together, and we had quite a natural ease.”
Acting with a partner can sometimes feel mechanical, Chandran adds, but with Godoy, every take is dynamic: “Kiki, as an actor, is just so open; it makes my job so much easier.”
Chandran’s casting was revealed in August 2024, but eagle-eyed fans had an inkling even before Netflix made the official announcement—and, the actor admits, her actions did not help. “I’m going to look so stupid,” she shyly confesses. When she got the part, she put together a Miss Wednesday playlist (the first song was “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat), not realizing that Spotify playlists are, by default, public: “I unintentionally confirmed my casting!”
Most of the fandom seemed elated, but “a vocal minority,” as Chandran calls it, filled her comment section with often racist vitriol—which the actor swiftly called out. “I never wanted to seem like I don’t see all the love and positivity, which I do think is the majority of the fan base; but sometimes people fail to realize that there is a human being on the other side of what they say,” she says. “You can not like the casting…. Who am I to tell you how to feel? …The reality is, these things don’t get to me as much as I think people would hope for, but I’m never going to let racism or misogyny slide.”
Chandran says that castmates publicly stood up for her, as did other people on the production. Many also reached out privately, which made her feel “safe” and “validated,” she recalls. “Shooting the show is not easy. It’s physically taxing…. To really feel safe around the people that you work with, that they have your back, it’s the best feeling in the world. I feel so grateful for it, and I do not take it for granted. They put themselves on the firing line. They got death threats. I saw them. And it makes me so emotional, because that’s what the world needs more of, right? It’s allies.”
The inclusion of Chandran into the group offscreen was as seamless as Vivi’s onscreen. She did not have any chemistry reads; instead, she met most of the cast at a stunt rehearsal in Cape Town. “It takes only a few moments with Charithra to get a feel of how she cares for the world around her,” Romero tells Teen Vogue.
After introductions, next came the group chats: For season two, it was Nakama Network, in reference to the Japanese word for “teammate” or “close friend,” which many One Piece fans will recognize as a constant motif in the series; for season three, it’s Kiki Studios, in reference to the nickname cast members use for Godoy. “Kiki, the tyrannical overlord that he is, named it after himself,” Chandran quips. (Godoy says he might not be the most active in the group chat, but he often sends close-up selfies. “Those are our blessings,” Chandran jokes. “We’re so, so lucky.”)
The sense of camaraderie the team fosters behind the scenes is, not coincidentally, one of the moral compasses throughout the One Piece manga and anime. Witnessing Godoy and Chandran bounce off of each other after a long day on set, even if it’s only over Zoom, feels like a glimpse of what Vivi and Luffy might get down to during time off inside the Going Merry. Both actors are self-described extroverts. Both take the jokes in stride. Both are here for the ride.
Godoy, who hails from Mexico, first auditioned for the role of Luffy when he was 17, but it wasn’t until he was freshly 20 years old that the world witnessed him wearing the infamous straw hat onscreen. A lot has changed. “I’ve become an adult, an actual adult,” he says. While filming season two of One Piece, Godoy rang in his 21st birthday on set, and his coworkers surprised him with fireworks and a Catan-themed cake.
After the success of season one, Godoy took a much-needed break. “When something so big and monumental happens in your life, sometimes it feels right to step back a little and be like, ‘Okay, what are the things that really matter to me?’” he says. “After I was done shooting season one, I realized I wanted to figure out what other things I liked besides cinema and acting, in general.”
Godoy decided to learn Japanese for fun, becoming conversational, and also learning to read and write hiragana and katakana, two of three scripts that make up the Japanese writing system. He lived with a Japanese host family for two months, and now tries to maintain his level by taking occasional lessons, conversing with friends, and engaging with the culture.
He also embarked on a nearly 80-day sailing trip in the Caribbean, inspired by his sister’s sailing prowess, only to realize that, unlike Luffy, life on a boat is not his cup of tea. “[I thought it] would be so cool to say in interviews like this one, because then it makes me look like I’m a method actor, like I’m so dedicated,” he says. “The ironic thing is, I actually don’t like sailing.”
Despite that, Godoy returned from these adventures feeling like a more self-assured actor, and was emboldened to change parts of his approach to portraying Luffy. He used the manga, which he felt even more connected to after learning Japanese, as a primary reference. “After I realized I pulled off a pretty good Luffy on season one, I thought, Well, maybe now I can actually pay more attention to what he’s like in the source material and try to use that more,” he explains. “[I also wanted to be] a bit more responsible about, okay, I have a right to give ideas and say if I feel something doesn't feel quite right to me. Pitching more, and protecting more for my character, I think was also a new challenge for season two.”
Godoy adds, “The manga has become a huge tool. I have meetings with my showrunners where I make PowerPoint presentations and PDFs [with] my favorite frames. One of his hobbies is looking for "weird Luffy faces that Oda has drawn."
Chandran follows a similar MO, highlighting key manga panels to try to recreate during her performance. Still, there are some things that couldn’t make it from the page. Karoo, Vivi’s super spot-billed duck, an integral part of the manga and anime, is notably absent from the live-action. “Here’s a quote for you: ‘Iñaki Godoy’s favorite line in season two of One Piece is, “In Alabasta, we ride ducks. My loyal duck companion back home is named Karoo.”’ Best line of the season,” Godoy says, teasing Chandran.
“It’s really hard to do espionage with a giant duck,” Chandran says with a teasing smile. “Of course, I wanted to have a giant duck as my best friend. But for the story, it didn’t quite work out.”
One of Godoy’s pitches that made the cut is his favorite scene from season two, in which he is seen “putting chopsticks inside my nose” in the final episode, after welcoming Tony Tony Chopper into the crew.
Chopper, one of the new cast members of season two—and one of the most anticipated characters on the show—is played by, as Chandran puts it, a “dedicated team of people”: Mikaela Hoover provides face capture and voice; Gavin Gomes is Heavy Point, the character’s “human” form; and N’kone Mametja serves as a stand-in while the actors film scenes. “In season three,” Chandran adds, smiling, “we also have a puppeteer called Tim [Redpath] who helps bring Chopper alive. Chopper is the most expensive character in One Piece, we like to say.”
Chandran is a bit sulky to have her thunder stolen. “Do you know what? It’s kind of annoying joining season two as a new character, because I’m never going to be as cute as Chopper!” she says playfully. “It’s like, ‘Oh, Chopper, really? You couldn’t join in season three?’”
The broader world of One Piece is full of political themes: corruption, cronyism, colonialism, social stratification, segregation, downtrodden towns, totalitarianism. Gen Z protesters globally have been using the Straw Hats’ Jolly Roger as a symbol of liberation and resistance. Though the demonstrators’ specific reasons for protesting might differ by region, the flag has helped unite young people in countries like Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Madagascar under a single banner to signify defiance.
“One Piece keeps getting more sophisticated the more you get into the story,” Godoy says. “It is about dreams; it’s also a story about friends—a story about the challenges that people face in life, and corruption and rebelling against authority and following your own code of justice.”
Chandran, who majored in philosophy, politics, and economics at the University of Oxford (in the city where she relocated in her childhood after living in Scotland and India until age 11), says her character’s “whole storyline is very political.” Also, “I think my fundamental founding principle is that all people are equal. No one is born better than anyone else, so no one has a birthright to anything. So it’s interesting that my career is so riddled with these kinds of characters,” she notes, alluding to Bridgerton.
Still, Chandran always finds a way in: “Playing Vivi has been really fun because she is a royal who really embodies that principle of every life is valuable. Everyone is equal. Just because she’s a princess, she doesn’t believe that she should be treated any differently. If anything, [she feels that she has] a responsibility [to be] the first to go,” the actor says. “That’s actually a principle of just being a good leader.”
So far, a handful of cast members have been announced for season three, including actor, comedian, and playwright Cole Escola, who will play the dazzlingly dangerous Bon Clay; and Cobra Kai alum Xolo Maridueña, whom many had fan-cast, as Portgas D. Ace. Godoy and Maridueña, who have been close for years, played into rampant fan speculation before the casting of Maridueña was announced.
Now that they are actually filming together, Godoy says, their experience has surpassed expectations: “He’s a great guy. He’s a really good friend, and he’s also a super-talented person. Being able to work with your friend is such a privilege. We have a special trust, and I think it’s going to show onscreen,” he adds. “I’m excited for Latino fans of One Piece to see two Latinos playing these iconic manga characters. It makes me feel pride.”
Netflix, whether intentionally or unknowingly, gave fans a taste of what’s to come back in 2024, in a video where Godoy visited the Cobra Kai set. But for now, even as he films the third season of One Piece, Godoy is focused on not letting the pressure get to him. When he’s not on set as Luffy, he enjoys getting lost in the world of Minecraft. “I’m in the process of exploring some mines right now,” he shares excitedly, “and it’s going quite well. I’m building a basement also.”
Chandran, meanwhile, is training to run a marathon in May—one of her life goals before she turns 30 next year—and she’ll be serving as an ambassador for the charity Room to Read, a nonprofit focused on children’s literacy and girls’ education across Asia and Africa.
“I think that for so much of my 20s, I didn’t get to enjoy all the great things that were happening because I kept saying, ‘Oh, these things need to happen,’” Chandran says. “I just want to enjoy how amazing my life is in the moment.”
Godoy seems to agree. As excited as he is about season two of One Piece, he says he’s not consumed by the expectation of repeating season one’s results. “We will see if the show is a big success. We’ll see if it’s not,” he says. “But we will figure it out together.”
Credits
Photographer Aart Verrips
Styling Alexander-Julian Gibbson
Creative Direction Alexander-Julian Gibbson
Producer Di Davis
3rd AD Calsea Kruger
Digi Craig Totten
Lighting Assist Russel Hatton
Lighting Assist Jigga Thomas
Retouching Jean Gris
Video Director Josh Hundermark
Co-Director Diana Mills-Smith
Director of Photography Dylan Marriot
Sound Dylan Zacks
Wardrobe Assistant Sheneque Clarke
Wardrobe Assistant Nzinga Watts-Harper
Makeup Renee de Witt
Hair Stylist SJ Taute
Props Stylist Camilla Copemann-Smith
Production Assistnat Khuselo Mxenge
Creative Editorial Director Mi-Anne Chan
Digital Director Alyssa Hardy
Global Fashion Director Tchesmeni Leonard
Entertainment Director Eugene Shevertalov
Programming & Creative Development Director Amalie MacGowan
Senior Editor P. Claire Dodson
Senior Designer Liz Coulbourn
Senior Manager, Social Media Jillian Selzer
Video Manager Ali Farooqui
Copy Editor Dawn Rebecky
Research Editor Shayna Posses
Beauty Editor Donya Momenian
Associate Fashion Editor Samantha Gasmer
Assistant Fashion Editor Crystal Okonkwo
Associate Production Manager Kylee McGuigan
Special thanks to Versha Sharma, Emily Zirimis, Brittney McNamara, Kaitlyn McNab, and Bea Oyster.
