PRESS NOTES

KEY INFO:
presents
Format: 8 x 1 hour episodes; Action-Adventure
Based on the Manga One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
Developed by: Matt Owens and Steven Maeda
Executive Producers: Matt Owens, Steven Maeda,
Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Chris Symes,
Marc Jobst, Tim Southam, Eiichiro Oda
Producers: Stephen Welke, Takuma Naito, Marisa
Sonemann-Turner and Rudi Vas As (South African
Producers)
Director of Photography: Nicole Hirsch Whitaker
(Block 1), Michael Swan (Block 2), Trevor Brown
(Block 3), and Michael Wood (Block 4)
Production Designer: Richard Bridgland
Costume Designer: Diana Cilliers
Edited by: Kevin D. Ross, ACE; Tessa Verfuss
Music by: Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli
Prosthetic Makeup: Jaco Snyman
VFX Supervisor: Victor Scalise
Casting Directors: Junie Lowry-Johnson,
Bonnie Rodini, Libby Goldstein
Filming Location: Cape Town, South Africa

MAIN CAST:
Iñaki Godoy (Luffy) Mackenyu (Zoro)
Emily Rudd (Nami) Jacob Romero (Usopp)
Taz Skylar (Sanji) Vincent Regan (Vice Admiral Garp)
Morgan Davies (Koby)

GUEST/RECURRING CAST:
Jeff Ward (Buggy) McKinley Belcher III (Arlong)
Celeste Loots (Kaya) Aidan Scott (Helmeppo)
Langley Kirkwood (Axe-Hand Morgan) Peter Gadiot (Shanks)
Michael Dorman (Gold Roger) Ilia Paulino (Alvida)
Steven Ward (Mihawk) Alexander Maniatis (Kuro)
Tamer Burjaq (Higuma) Milton Schorr (Don Krieg)
Ian McShane (Narrator)

ONE PIECE RELEASES GLOBALLY

ON NETFLIX AUGUST 31, 2023

PRESS CONTACTS:
in association with [email protected]

TOMORROW STUDIOS FOR ADDITIONAL PRESS MATERIALS,

PLEASE VISIT: HTTPS://MEDIA.NETFLIX.COM
 TABLE
OF CONTENTS

Synopsis

Episode Credits & Descriptions

A Letter from Eiichiro Oda

An Introduction to ONE PIECE

The World of ONE PIECE

Glossary of Terms

A Conversation with Showrunners

Matt Owens and Steven Maeda

Cast & Characters

Behind-the-Scenes Facts About

the Making of ONE PIECE

*Interviews in the following press notes were

recorded in 2022 and early 2023.
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 NAKAMA: A

EPISODE CREDITS
spirit of friendship and family
among those who share the same destiny.

& DESCRIPTIONS
“Our whole season is set up in four two-episode arcs where we’re meeting a new Straw Hat,
getting to know them, and finding where they fit into their world. It’s not only an origin story
for how this crew comes together…it’s an encapsulation of the idea of found family. A spirit of
togetherness and adventure.”
- Matt Owens, Co-Showrunner

Episode 1: “Romance Dawn”

Directed by: Marc Jobst | Teleplay by: Matt Owens and Steven Maeda
Monkey D. Luffy, an optimistic young pirate with dreams of finding the One Piece, sets off in search
of the loyal crew he needs to navigate the vast oceans. His journey begins when he helpsKoby, a
deckhand forced into servitude, escape an undesirable situation. While in Shells Town, Luffy meets
Roronoa Zoro, a famed pirate hunter, and Nami, a master thief - and the three form
a tenuous alliance.

Episode 2: “The Man in the Straw Hat”

Directed by: Marc Jobst | Written by: Ian Stokes
Luffy, Zoro, and Nami find themselves imprisoned on an island overtaken by the deranged clown
pirate, Buggy. Koby joins the marines and proves his mettle.

Episode 3: “Tell No Tales” Episode 4: “The Pirates Are Coming”

Directed by: Emma Sullivan Directed by: Emma Sullivan
Written by: Matt Owens and Damani Johnson Written by: Tiffany Greshler and Tom Hyndman
Luffy, Zoro, and Nami land in Syrup Village where they Luffy, Zoro, and Nami fight their way through Kaya’s man-
meet Usopp, a local who introduces the group to Kaya, a sion, which has now become a prison. Usopp enlists the help

sickly shipyard heiress under the care of a trio of over- of Koby, Helmeppo and the Marines. Luffy finally gets the

bearing house staff. With the help of Koby, Vice Admiral ship of his dreams as Garp closes in.

Garp, a powerful Marine, sets off in search of Luffy.

Episode 5: “Eat At Baratie!”

Directed by: Tim Southam | Written by: Laura Jacqmin
Luffy and the gang are tested in their ability to fight together on the high seas. They arrive at Baratie, a floating restaurant,
where they encounter Sanji, a young chef with a love of fine dining. A duel on the docks shocks the group.

Episode 6: “The Chef and the Chore Boy”

Directed by: Tim Southam | Written by: Steven Maeda and Diego Gutierrez
The group is ambushed by a threat no one saw coming. After a hard-fought battle at Baratie, Sanji finally
follows his dreams, while another crew member shows their true colors.

Episode 7: “The Girl with the Sawfish Tattoo” Episode 8: “Worst In the East”
Directed by: Josef Wladyka Directed by: Josef Wladyka
Written by: Tiffany Greshler & Ian Stokes and Written by: Matt Owens and Steven Maeda
Allison Weintraub & Lindsay Gelfand
A new pirate crew is born.
The crew comes to the aid of a member in dire need of family.
A LETTE R FROM ONE PIECE CREATOR EIICH IRO ODA
So, the LIVE ACTION ONE PIECE!
I’ll say this. There were no compromises on this show!

And the festivities have already begun! It’s already fun seeing the
flurry of reactions after each release of information. And the very fact
that adapting ONE PIECE into live action was conceived 7 years ago is
wild! How will this world be brought to life?! There was so much that
went into it - all the efforts by the actors, the building of the world
and the costumes, presenting things in a way that can only be done in
live action, the dialogue - and the entire process of so many people
putting their heads together was a festivity in and of itself.

After the launch, I’m sure I’ll hear about some people pointing
out how this character is missing or that scene is omitted, or this bit
is different from the manga. But I’m sure they’ll come from a place of
love, so I intend to enjoy even those comments! lol The story will span
8 episodes and take us up through you-know-where!!
Even after the shoot was over, there were numerous scenes the pro-
duction agreed to re-shoot because I felt they weren’t good enough to
put out into the world. On the other hand, there were also some lines
that I thought didn’t feel like Luffy on paper… but when I saw the filmed
scenes, I went, “it works when it’s Iñaki performing it as Luffy! As a
matter of fact, it works great!!” (Iñaki is the actor who plays Luffy.)
There were so many things that had to be done to keep things from
looking too unnatural in live action.

The producers and the crew are pros at live action, and frankly, they’re
ONE PIECE superfans, too. The more knowledgeable you are about ONE
PIECE, the more you’re likely to notice the love they poured into this.
It was June when we made the final decision to go ahead and
launch this show. My editor who’d worked so hard on this actually
cried as he said, “It was such a long journey…” lol. Not that working
hard on something guarantees success, of course.

By now I just love this production team and the cast so much that I
can’t wait for them to get the acclaim they deserve from everyone around
the world. And if by chance people have some gripes, I’ll be there to
receive them together!

Now, whatever feelings you choose to harbor in the meantime, it’s still
going to be one month, so please have some tea as you wait!

Eiichiro Oda
 TRODUCTION to
E
IN
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AN
ONE PIE What is ON
E PIECE?
anese mangaJap
is an epic
ONE PIECEHN G - guh) se ries written
and
ce d: M A a sp ra wling
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by Eiichir o
that centers
on the
illustrated o n th e high seas g man
nt ur e yo un
tale of adve , thusiastic
the Pirates.
L en
Monkey D. uf fy an
character of to be co me King of
n is d the
ar aspiratio of the manga
series an
whose singul th the name
bo so he can
ONE PIECE easure that Luffy hopes to find
is
old Roger.
legendary tr Kin g o f th e Pirates, G
former
succeed the

Who is Eiichiro Oda? Oda-

san is the creator of the ONE
PIECE universe. The global
success of the series - it’s the
best-selling manga series of
all-time - has made Oda-san one
of the most influential authors
in the history of the medium. He
remains one of the few who’ve
stayed intimately involved with
their creation for its entire life
span. He is an executive producer
on the live-action adaptation of
ONE PIECE, and has been deeply
involved with series showrunners
Matt Owens and Steve Maeda.
For More General Information
About One Piece, CLICK HERE.

FAST FACTS ON ONE PIECE

ONE PIECE was first published in 1996 as It holds two Guinness World Record titles:
two, one-shot stories written by Eiichiro Oda.
- Most copies published for the same
comic book series by a single author
It began its serialized publication in 1997
and now encompasses 105 collected volumes - Most copies published for the same manga series
of stories (and counting).
The global popularity of Eiichiro Oda’s mythology has
ONE PIECE manga have sold more than 516 since inspired the story to be adapted into an ongoing,
million copies across 61 countries. hit anime series with over 1,000 episodes over 20
seasons, 15 animated theatrical films, and various video
games set within the world.
 THE WO RLD OF ONE PIE CE

The Great Pirate Era

The era that began after the execution of Gold
Roger, the King of the Pirates. When he’s captured
by the Marines and sentenced to death by the World
Government, Roger announces to the masses that
he’s hidden his legendary treasure, known as the
One Piece, somewhere in the Grand Line. Thou- Locations in the East Blue:
sands then take to the seas to find the treasure in
the hopes of becoming the next King of the Pirates. Loguetown - the site of Gold Roger’s execution

Windmill Village - Luffy’s hometown

The Red Line Shimotsuki Village - Zoro’s training origin

A thin stretch of land that circles the world and,
together with the Grand Line, separates the four
Shells Town - Marines Headquarters
major bodies of water: East Blue, North Blue,
West Blue, and South Blue.
Syrup Village - Usopp and Kaya’s hometown

Baratie - the floating restaurant

The Grand Line

A band that intersects the Red Line horizontally. Coco Village - Nami’s home
A treacherous stretch of ocean with islands and
cities ripe for the picking for any enterprising Arlong Park in the
pirate. Conomi Islands - the hideout of the Arlong pirates
 GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Berry
The primary form of
currency in the East Blue.

Devil Fruit
A variety of unique fruits
that imbue the eater with
permanent supernatural pow-
ers. There are many differ-
ent varieties that provide
a spectrum of powers, but
each Devil Fruit is one-
of-a-kind. Attempting to
eat more than one Devil
Fruit guarantees death. They
are rare, coveted, and every
variety renders the consum-
er unable to swim.

Gum-Gum
(eaten by Luffy)
Turns Luffy’s body
to rubber.

Chop-Chop
(eaten by Buggy)
Jolly Roger Allows Buggy’s body
The one-of-a-kind visual parts to separate and
emblem of a pirate crew. then come back together.

Transponder snails
Organic, living snails that
can be used for long-distance
communication much like
a cell phone.

Sea Kings
Giant, water-based beasts that prey
on vulnerable vessels and sailors in the
seas. The sea king that appears in Episode 2
is known as the Lord of the Coast.
 A CONVERSATION WITH SHOWRUNNERS
MATT OWENS AND STEVEN MAEDA

What’s your history with ONE PIECE and how did you get involved with the live action adaptation?

Matt Owens: ONE PIECE first came out when I was Steven Maeda: I wasn’t as familiar with the man-
10, and it was around that age when I first started ga when I interviewed for the show, but I read the
getting into manga. For whatever reason, though, it just first hundred chapters very quickly and realized that
didn’t hit for me when I was a kid and I didn’t pick it this was something incredibly special and that to be
up again until I was in my 20s. At the time, I was go- entrusted to play in this sandbox that Eiichiro Oda
ing through a really bad bout of depression and I was created was a high honor.
trying to find something that could help me shut the
world out. So, that’s when I finally took the dive and
I honestly believe that ONE PIECE saved my life. It’s
a story of people caring for people, following your
dreams, found family - all of the things I felt I was
missing and had to reevaluate - and it really brought
The brain trust behind Tomorrow
me out of that dark place I was in. I have a very deep
Studios first reached out to Eiichiro
emotional connection to this property, and not just
Oda in 2015 to discuss adapting ONE
for the amazing manga that it is.
PIECE for live action.
So, I sought this project out in 2017 when I heard “Back in 2015, my then-assistant Nic Louie asked
that Tomorrow Studios had acquired the rights for a me if I was familiar with ONE PIECE. I wasn’t,
ONE PIECE adaptation. I remember sending an email but he was a fan and was adamant that we get the
to all of my agents in all caps that said, “I NEED A rights to it. So we flew to Japan to meet with
MEETING ON THIS!!!” And I was a mid-level writer Oda…It ended up being quite a long, but excit-
at that point. I didn’t know if I would ever have a shot, ing journey to get him to trust us with his baby
but I had to try and I said as much in my first meet- because he hadn’t done live action before and was
ing with Tomorrow Studios. I said, “I honestly don’t unfamiliar with our process. But we got there.
know if this can be done, but I know that I can’t sit by It’s been an exhilarating few years and we’re just
and watch someone else make this. You’re not going to hugely excited to see this come to fruition after
find anyone in this industry who knows or loves ONE all the time and effort that everybody put into
PIECE more than me.” I knew it was a long shot, but this collaboration.”
in early 2018, I got the call. - Marty Adelstein, CEO, Tomorrow Studios
ONE PIECE first debuted over 25 years ago and the manga is still going strong.
What makes this story so enduring and endearing to audiences?

Maeda: It’s wonderfully inventive, first Owens: I think its longevity is tied strictly to Oda’s creativity and
off. It’s a world we’ve never seen be- genius in world-building. He continues to have ideas for new places
fore, and I think for anyone who’s just and new conflicts that really build this world out more and more.
discovering it, the first thing they’ll Like Steve said, it’s not just a fun pirate adventure series, it’s
realize is how different it is, not just about so many different things: oppression, information control,
from other pirate stories, but from self-doubt. There are so many wonderful emotional themes to this
anything else out there…At its core, it that continue to be timely. He just continues to build a world you
harkens back to a simpler way of look- want to spend time in.
ing at our differences and overcoming
them, all told through the lens of this
great uniter in Monkey D. Luffy. He
takes these people who have no busi-
Eiichiro Oda on what set ONE PIECE apart
ness being a crew and gets them all to
from other manga in the ’90s:
work together. It’s about community. It’s “At the time, speaking out about one’s dreams was considered
about family. It’s about people leaning uncool in the world of manga, as well as in Japanese society.
in and depending on each other to get That’s why I drew this manga with characters like Luffy and
the things that they really want, what Zoro who were not shy about expressing their ultimate goals.”
their hearts desire.

Fans of Oda’s are thrilled that he’s been so deeply involved with this adaptation.
What was it like meeting and collaborating with him?
Owens: I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous for anything in my entire life. Here was this person who has
created this story I hold so much love and reverence for and I’m asking him to trust me with his baby. I’m not
going to lie, he was tough in the beginning - this wasn’t the first attempt at a live action ONE PIECE, and
we weren’t the first people to try to express it in a new way. But I think once he realized we were coming from
the right place - trying to protect this series and create a new avenue for even more people to fall in love
with it - he started to trust us.

When it comes to adapting a story as huge as ONE PIECE into an eight-episode

season, there are obviously going to be some creative concessions for both
Oda and yourselves. Were there any aspects of the story that Oda didn’t want
you to change?

Owens: The two biggest things Maeda: For us, the one thing we Owens: It’s not an exaggeration
that Oda wanted to make sure that tried to do instead was really in- how involved he and his team were
we kept as close as possible still the sense of optimism, which in this show. They saw outlines,
to the manga were: 1. The Straw is pervasive throughout the entire scripts, dailies, cuts. Sometimes
Hats’ backstories because they’re manga, and really try to find that he would see something and go, “I
so pivotal to who they are as fine line that would make these imagined it like this!” Which was
people, what their dreams and characters feel real and grounded always incredible to hear... But if he
motivations are, and how Luffy and organic, but at the same time, saw something that he had a ques-
digs into that as he meets them let them be themselves and be the tion about, he would bring it to us.
and helps them rediscover those characters as they were drawn. The He would explain what the original
dreams. That emotional core of big thing was to make sure that the intent was and the process became an
the series was very important. Straw Hats had the right introduc- ever-evolving conversation.
And 2. The power sets. Specific tions, the right screen time, the
Devil Fruit powers and oth- right explanations for who they
er skill sets were all careful- were. That being said, anything new
ly crafted by Oda and there’s to the series had to be discussed
already a lot of imagination that very intensively with Oda and his
he put into what different people team - like certain storylines that
can do and what the rules are needed to be pulled up - but ca-
with that, so that was something nonically nothing has changed.
we were asked not to mess with.
Tomorrow Studios President Becky Clements on the thrill of adapting
ONE PIECE for live-action television:
“It’s one thing to adapt a piece of massive IP, but it’s quite another to do it while it’s still on its own
journey. So it’s been a very dynamic collaboration…Every now and then we’d get communication from Oda that
said something like, ‘By the way, can you maybe not say or do that in this episode because something’s coming.’
And, of course, we’re torn because we’re super fans and we want to know what it is for our own sake.”

Given the success of the manga and the anime series, what made you want
to undertake the challenge of adapting this story for live action?

Owens: I think anime and manga are still sometimes Maeda: For me, there’s nothing like an impossible
seen as things for kids or nerds. That’s a hurdle that’s
challenge to make you go, “Okay. I think that can
difficult to get over, and what this series can hopeful-
be done” and then figure out a way to do it. But the
ly do is show people that anime and manga stories are
gigantic challenge of it all was made bigger be-
for everyone. ONE PIECE is the most phenomenal story
cause of this passionate fan base. I’ve never seen
ever told. If people are more willing to give it a chance
anything like it. I’m sure we will be heavily scruti-
in live action - it’s worth it. I would love for people
nized every step of the way, but I welcome it. We’re
to find this show and then go read the manga to see what
really proud of what we’ve made.
happens next. That’s the hope. Spreading the gospel of
ONE PIECE is worth it.

Why is it the perfect time to tell this story?

Owens: The emotional answer is: it’s the kind of story that needs Maeda: My God, do we need
to be told right now. I think we’re in an era where people feel very a story about people coming
alone and isolated, and having a story that talks about the power together and working together in
of friendship is something culturally that we could really use right spite of their differences. Is there
now. But from an industry standpoint, a lot of the big epic series any more important thing that we, as
that are on TV at the moment - and no disrespect to them, I love a society, are not accomplishing in
them - but they’re all so dark. We wanted to build a show with just real life right now?
as much mythology and lore and brilliance as some of those other
blockbuster shows, but be the blue skies, sunny, optimistic version
of them. We want to be able to sit on the same shelf as them, but
be a beacon of light.

Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements on describing ONE PIECE in a nutshell for
audiences of every stripe:
Adelstein: “Whether you’re already a fan or not, I think people Clements: “It’s pure, blue sky joy…with
will engage and come away with happiness in the end. It’s just a a little oddity thrown in.”
big, swashbuckling, propulsive show that will put a smile on your
face and make you want more.”

What do you hope audiences take away from the series?

Maeda: I think the overall Owens: I want people to see this as a show about the power of friendship.
goal is to appeal to the fans
I know that that can sound kind of schmaltzy, but it really is a powerful
of the manga, but also to
thing. Having people who you can lean on and depend on - that’s the one big
non-fans in equal measure.
takeaway I want people to have. But the other thing I really want people to
It’s such a phenomenal story. glean from this is that anime can be adapted into live action. When you have
I hope people can rope into it the right minds and hearts behind it, anything can be adapted. Sometimes it
through this series and hope-
takes the right people, the right technologies, and the right intentions to
fully come away with a really
align perfectly, but it can be done. This is a show that was done by a massive
life-affirming and optimistic
group of hardworking and creative people who all love ONE PIECE. I hope
message from it.
that audiences can look at this and view the curse as being broken.
 MONKEY
Skills: Weapons:

D. kLi UFFoY
A supernatural ability to stretch his His entire body can expand
body after eating a Gum-Gum Fruit, and snap, showcasing rubbery
a type of Devil Fruit. powers, like his Gum-Gum
He’s vulnerable to sharp weapons Pistol move, that allow him
and being immersed in water. to produce powerful kicks and

God y
punches from a distance.

Iña (He/His)
optimistic
- an d eternally .
The larger-th leader of the Straw Hats crew
an li fe
ted nny
self-appoin nsistently su
d heart, a co
He’s go t a goo
d a keen eye
for the in he re nt
disp o si ti o n, an
him. Stu bb o rn to a
ng th s o f th ose around be co mi ng
stre cused on
is entirely fo
fault, Luffy P es.
King of th irat
e

IÑAKI GODOY ON...

Mother knowing best:
“When I was auditioning for the role, it didn’t
say it was for ONE PIECE or that the charac-
ter was Luffy. Everything had a code name so you
wouldn’t be able to tell which show it was. But the
character description said it was a cheerful guy,
always has a smile on his face, super positive, and
a great leader and my mom was like, ‘Iñaki, you’re
going to get this role. This is you when you were
11-years-old. It’s exactly you.’ I was like, yeah
right. We’ll see.”

Fun Fact
For inspiration, Godoy carried around a photo of
himself as an 11-year-old while he was on set. “I tried
to remember what it was like to be in that time of my life
where I felt like I could do anything,” he says.

The qualities he shares with Luffy:

“It’s really hard to be positive in general and it’s
easy to feel disappointed because there’s a lot of
really awful things going on in the world. But I feel
like it’s a very brave thing to do - to stay positive
and hold onto your dreams - and that’s what I try to
do in my life. I think that that’s something I share
with Luffy. It comes more naturally to him, and I have
to fight for it, but I always fight to stay positive and
fight for my dreams.”

Figuring Luffy out:

“Luffy was a tough character to figure out. We share a lot of similarities, but how do you take this
super cartoony character and translate him into live action? I watched the anime and I read the manga
up to the point where I felt like I knew what Luffy’s essence was, but I didn’t want either of them to
get into my head too much. I needed to try to come up with my own version. He’s about dreams, friends,
and adventure. He’s honest and a little bit selfish, but in a good way. He’s also fearless, and that’s
weird because most of the characters I’ve played have some kind of fear. But with Luffy, I couldn’t
find any fear. So I realized the thing that was going to help me play this character is - I just gotta
own it. I just got to believe it. That was the key to making Luffy work, just believing in his words.”
Spreading the gospel of ONE PIECE:
“The thing I really like about ONE PIECE is that
it’s an amazing way to look at life…I know that
when I got the role of Luffy, I was reminded of my
own dreams and playing this character pushed me to
believe in the positivity and the joy the world has
to offer. ONE PIECE did a lot of very beautiful
things in my life. It brought a lot of light into
everything, and I want to share that with as many
people as I can.”

Eiichiro Oda on
creating Luffy and
finding his living
embodiment in
Iñaki Godoy:
When I first created Luffy]
I drew what I considered to be
the most energetic child I could
imagine. A normal child on the
outside, but not at all normal
on the inside…My biggest worry
about the live action adaptation
was whether we would be able
to find someone like Luffy.
I watched a lot of various
auditions and when I found
Iñaki, I laughed. He was just
like the person I drew in my
manga. I intuitively thought,
“That’s Luffy.”

Matt Owens on what makes Luffy

such a unique character:
“Luffy’s optimism is arguably just as important a superpower
as his Gum-Gum power. So the challenge was about modulating
the humor and the youthfulness without making him seem
overly naive, and making his story one that audiences will want
to follow. Luffy’s a force of nature and the way to really look
at his interactions with other characters isn’t necessarily
about, ‘how do we change Luffy?’ Because Luffy is unflappable.
It’s more about ‘how does Luffy affect and change the people
around him?’ When we really started to look at it from that
angle, it opened up a lot of character possibilities.”
RORONOA ZORO
ckenyu Ma (He/His)
es not play well
ate hunter who do
A badass, deadly piris ss io n to fulfill a
with others. He
on a mi
swordsman.
the world’s great
es t
to bec om e
prom ise the best to
feat the best of
To do so, he must de ty is gained,
ction. Once his
lo yal
earn that distin e ally . Z or o doesn’t
however, he’s an
incredibl
his determ ina tio n
suffer fools and
is unpara lle led .

Skills:
A master swordsman with impressive focus, strength,
endurance, and a unique three sword fighting style.

Weapons:
His signature trio of swords.

MACKENYU ON…

Growing up with ONE PIECE

and idolizing Zoro:
“I was born in 1996, so ONE PIECE has
been around for my entire life. It’s a massive
part of my life and something that’s always
been there. If you’re Japanese, it’s impos-
sible not to know about it, and for me, it’s
impossible not to idolize a character like
Zoro. I didn’t know which character I was
auditioning for when they were casting this
series because everything had a code name,
but I knew if it wasn’t for Zoro, I didn’t
want to audition at all.”

Zoro’s endearing dualities:

“Zoro’s a very stubborn guy, he gets
lost a lot, but won’t admit it. He’s
an expert swordsman, but he hates to
lose. He isn’t the smartest guy in the
world, but probably thinks he is. It’s
also very hard to make him think you’re
cool. But Luffy somehow does that,
and meeting Luffy is the biggest thing
to ever happen to Zoro…though, of
course, he’d never say that out loud.”

Fun Fact:
While Mackenyu did not dye all of his hair green to match Zoro’s
iconic look - he painted the bottom half on shoot days, the top
half was a wig - he did get three piercings in his left ear so he
could wear Zoro’s signature trio of gold earrings.
Honing his many skill sets to play Zoro:
“Before the series, I practiced Kyokushin karate, a form of Jap-
anese karate that I started when I was eight. And I’ve done gym-
nastics, water polo…I also went to my dad’s school every summer
when I was a kid, so I was ready. [Editorial note: Mackenyu’s
father is the late martial arts icon Sonny Chiba.] And when pro-
duction started, I was already very familiar with sword action,
but Zoro fights with three swords - which I’ve never done before.
In fact, no one has ever done that before. As far as I know there
aren’t any other guys who fight with three swords in anime, so
that was probably the most challenging thing to practice.”

Matt Owens on casting Mackenyu:

“Casting Zoro was just as difficult as casting Luffy because we had a very
specific checklist that we needed. We knew we wanted Zoro to be Japanese,
we wanted Zoro to be able to speak English, and we wanted someone who was
proficient in fighting. And Mackenyu checked all of those boxes and then
some. He works really hard, especially with his stunt work, he wanted to make
sure that his fights on this show were as good as they could be. He took it
very seriously. And I think it shows.”
 NAMuIdd Skills:
Navigation,
complex plans.
thievery, and executing
Weapons:
A Bo Staff.

Emily R (She/Her) nt
ith a pencha
rt ographer w
A quick-w it te d ca us w he n
dustrio
. A dv en tu rous and in en cy to
for thievery Nami has a tetond
something, the vest.
she’ s see ki ng
he r cards cl o se
he’s
orld, but s
an d kee ps
be secretive pi ng the whole w
f m ap ed
She dreams o agic history that keeps her ti
got a tr
to her past
.

EMILY RUDD ON...

Playing the long game to

nab the role of a lifetime:
“ONE PIECE is one of my
favorite manga and I’ve always
felt drawn to Nami in particular.
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 post-
ed a video of myself when I was
younger tumbling and doing back-
flips, things like that…I was just
trying my hardest to get anyone
who might notice to really see me
as Nami. So, to audition final-
ly, 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 stars aligning in order to
clear a path for her dream job:
“About a month before I auditioned for
ONE PIECE, I had been in a situa-
tion where I was up for another series
regular role. It came down to me and
one other person, and they went with
the other person. And it was a proj-
ect I really loved and wanted to do. I
was heartbroken. But it was also during
the height of COVID and I needed the
work - there was just a lot of uncer-
tainty. Then a month later, I got the call
to audition for Nami and I realized I
would’ve had to pass on ONE PIECE if
I’d booked the other job. It felt like
the universe was telling me, “No, no, no.
We got this for you.”

Fun Fact
Emily Rudd has black belt in karate and knew
how to handle a Bo Staff - Nami’s weapon
of choice - prior to beginning her stunt
training regimen for the series.

The moment that hooked her onto ONE

PIECE for life: [Mild spoiler ahead!]
“Without giving away too much, one of
the biggest moments in the East Blue
Saga that made a lot of people, including
myself, go Oh, I totally get it. I see it
now, is this scene with Nami and Luffy
toward the end of the season. It means
so much to fans of ONE PIECE, because
it’s such an intense moment of vulner-
ability for Nami. Up until that point,
she’s this super independent person. She
wants to do everything herself, and that
moment is the first time in years, maybe
ever, that she has ever asked anyone for
help. And that’s when you realize they’re a
crew, that they’re family. And that speaks
to the heart of the show. It’s all about
love and family, supporting each other,
and following your dreams. In her darkest
moment, you have someone there saying, ‘I
got you.’ I think about it and I tear up
because that moment is so special.”

Steve Maeda on casting Nami:

“The casting process for Nami was very
quick. Emily came to us early and she just
embodied the character so beautifully. She
was able to balance that cynicism that Nami
has in the early going with then having an
emotional catharsis and waking up to the
fact that something else is possible other
than the life that she has chosen for her-
self. Casting Emily was a no-brainer.”
 USOP P Skills:

Romero
Optimism and bravery when it counts. Sharpshooter.
Jacob (He/His)
Weapons:
mber of the crew
, Usopp A slingshot.
The most emotional me like wo nd er and
world with child sea.
approaches the rr io r of the
ing a great wa
dreams of becom he thi nk s which
he acts before
More often than not, . However, he has a good heart JACOB ROMERO ON…
he cares about,
uble
gets him into tro
, ng loyalty for those
with dee p ab idi
t fr ien d Kaya.
including his bes
Usopp’s superpower:
“Usopp’s a dreamer for sure. He likes to tell
a tall tale, but he tells stories as a way of
healing himself and as a form of medicine
for the people around him. The goodness of
his heart was so clear to me…Even though he
doesn’t have any superpowers or crazy martial
arts experience, when it comes time to step up
for the people that he cares about, he really
is able to be brave. And that’s an important
message for me to be a part transmitting.”

Auditioning for the role:

“The description for the part was
pretty vague. I think it said ‘a
group of teenagers come togeth-
er to be pirates on a ship,’ but
you weren’t even sure what kind
of ship it was. It could’ve been
a spaceship for all I knew. But
I did know it was shooting in
South Africa and it was going to
be a big, epic adventure and to be
a person of color in something
like that, I thought, ‘All right.
Now we’re onto something.”

Fun Fact:
Romero surreptitiously
took homeUsopp’s
version of theGoing
Merry’s Jolly Roger.
Learning how to hone his
slingshot talents:
“My character is the least athletic of
all the Straw Hats, but I still ended
up doing a lot of stunt training and
parkour. I also became pretty handy
with a slingshot. I had my own little
setup inside a target practice tent.
I’d go in with goggles and a helmet,
a bunch of marbles and a slingshot.
I got good enough where I
could knock a cup off a
table at 30 yards.”

Steven Maeda on
Jacob Romero:

“Jacob’s a wonderful,
honest, young actor, and he
calibrated Usopp perfectly.
Usopp does a lot of silly
things and he’s probably
the most like Luffy as far
as being very childlike, but
he has a really good heart
and will always stick up for
his friends. Jacob really
embodied those character-
istics because he’s just a
wonderful, genuine guy - it
was a really nice marriage
of actor and character.”
 SANJI Skills:
A master chef. A great fighter who
Weapons:
“Black Leg

lar
Taz Sky S
Style” kicking.
relies exclusively on his legs so as
to protect his hands for cooking.

(He/His) , anji is the

te an d honorable of the crew
Passiona d and chef
r no-non-
it ty ho th ea
d w
charming an ect foil fo
e All Blue,
hi m th e pe rf
which makes s o f finding th
sense Zoro
. He dr ea m
in the worl
d where fis
h
y place t B e,
t Blue, Wes
the o nl lu
said to be
ur seas - Eas found.
lue -
all fo n be
from
S h B ca
North Blue, an d o ut

TAZ SKYLAR ON...

Stretching himself to the limits during a

four-month-long training process:
“I went as all-out as I could in my audition tape,
but there wasn’t any kicking required in the cho-
reography they gave us, so when I actually got the
part, I truly underestimated what that was going to
take. I had to learn everything from the ground up
- starting from the basics, like what a front kick
looked like, or what a side kick looked like. We
didn’t even get into the spinning until two days in,
and that was a trip! Learning how to spin is hard!
But it became evident how inflexible I was. I’ve
been running, surfing, and jumping out of planes
my whole life, but I couldn’t get my leg above
waist-level. So…I went into full psycho-mode.
About four months before filming, I was doing a
play at the Young Vic and I’d get about two hours
of training in everyday day on top of rehearsals
and I’d have inflatable kickbacks in the dressing
room, backstage, just everywhere, dotted around
the theater. And whenever I had a free moment, I’d
practice kicking.

I got to Cape Town a month before filming

officially started and I began training with the
stunt team, and we ended up needing to bring in
extra hands to help with my flexibility. They
brought in a Taekwondo specialist, who’s now one
of my best friends, and an MMA fighter I had
trained with originally back in London. We’d be
working until 7 or 8 PM, tying belts around my
legs with someone pulling on the other side, or
stretching in a sauna. It was such a gradual, pains-
taking process - my legs felt like they were hang-
ing on by a thread at one point - but we did it.
There’s a certain point where you’re like, ‘There’s
no turning back now, bro. You’ve come this
far. Let’s go till the wheels fall off. Let’s
just commit.’”
The part where everything
comes together:
“Once we got the kicking and flex-
ibility part down, the wires started
coming into play. And it was funny, it
almost felt like everything I’d done
prior - surfing, flying out of planes
- all these different ways of moving
just came together and connected in
my brain. It’s all aerial movement. I
have no fear of heights. I have no fear
of being weightless, of being thrown
across the room. Pop me on a wire and
I feel at home!”

Fun Fact
At the time of this interview, Taz Skylar
had jumped out of a plane a total of 316
times. He’s an avid surfer and overall ex-
treme sports enthusiast. He completed an
ultra-marathon in Cape Town on New Year’s
Day 2022, two days before filming on ONE
PIECE resumed after a holiday break.

Mastering his knife skills to play a

chef convincingly:
“A friend of mine introduced me to a chef
who had trained with Jamie Oliver and worked
shifts in two restaurants. So after training,
I’d go to whichever restaurant he was doing a
shift in and for three months, I’d just learn
how to chop! I remember asking, ‘Ooh, so are
you going to show me how to flip stuff in a
pan or what’s the deal?” And he said, “No” and
gave me a bunch of onions instead. It was hor-
rible. I smelled like onions for a month. It’s
impossible to get the smell out of your skin…
Also, there’s a trick to the onions, which is to
leave the root intact and you’re less likely to
cry. I’m still not convinced it’s true…but, the
point is, he waited three weeks to tell me that.”

Steven Maeda on Taz Skylar:

“I just adore Taz. He is such a larger than
life personality himself and as an actor, and
he brings that into his performance as Sanji.
It’s such a great interpretation of Sanji who
is passionate, charming, but also honorable.Taz
is fantastic and we lucked out in getting him.”
THE MARINES The seafaring protectors of the
world’s waterways on behalf of
the World Government.
They enforce the maritime laws that
primarily protect the ruling class-
es, which means they seek out and
arrest the pirate factions stealing
from the wealthy and powerful. Are
they entirely just in their pursuits?
Definitely not.

VICE ADMIRAL GARP (Vincent Regan)

A legendary Vice Admiral famous for capturing the King of the Pirates, Gold Roger. He’s invested in trying to dissuade Luffy
from chasing his dangerous pirate dreams. He’s also a mentor for young Marine recruits, Koby and Helmeppo.

KOBY (Morgan Davies) HELMEPPO (Aidan Scott)

An insecure, but earnest Marine recruit who overcomes The vain, inept, and spoiled son of Captain Axe Hand
his self-doubt and finds his confidence. He’s pursuing Morgan. Initially, his father’s status allows him to
his dream to be a Marine in parallel with Luffy’s pirat- bully and terrorize others until he’s forced to join

ing goals. Their friendship tests Koby’s naïve outlook the Marines to gain some skills and discipline. He’s an

on the world. adversary for Koby and Luffy.

 Captains & VILLAINS
Those deemed to be pirates
or criminals by the World
Government are often
WANTED WANTED
assigned monetary
bounties on their heads
\as an incentive for
others to turn them in.
The universal currency in
the ONE PIECE world is
known as The Berry. The
bigger the public threat means
the bigger the bounty reward
which is reflected on their
AXE HAND MORGAN
Wanted posters. (LANGLEY KIRKWOOD)

ALVIDA (ILIA ISORELÝS PAULINO) A corrupt, high-ranking Marine leader who lords over the
Marine HQ with a literal iron grip.
The volatile captain of the Alvida Pirates.
Skills: Incredible strength and brutal leadership.
Bounty: 5,000,000 Berry

WANTED Skills: Wields a spiked iron mace with ferocity.

Weapons: A metal jaw and bespoke axe hand.

WANTED WANTED
KURO (ALEXANDER MANIATIS)
BUGGY (JEFF WARD) Captain of the Black Cat Pirates.
As the bizarre Captain of the Buggy Pirates, he looks like a Bounty: 16,000,000 Berry
diabolical version of a circus clown. However, getting stuck in his Weapons: Five blades in lieu of fingers.
tent is never a fun time as he’s maniacal and impulsive.

Bounty: 15,000,000
Skills: Possesses the powers of the Chop-Chop Fruit, which

SHANKS
allows him to separate and control his body parts while in close
(PETER GADIOT)

WANTED
proximity to his head.

Weapons: Canons, Buggy balls and knives. Shanks is the captain of Red-Haired Pirates and becomes
Luffy’s pirate hero/mentor. His patience with Luffy’s
pirating enthusiasm means that he inadvertently becomes the
conduit to the kid eating a Gum-Gum Fruit. HIGUMA (TAMER BURJAQ)

WANTED Bounty: 1,040,000,000 Berry

Skills: Level-headed and compassionate. A renowned pirate.
The leader of the mountain bandits that terrorize Luffy’s
childhood town. He becomes Luffy’s first adversary.

Bounty: 8,000,000 Berry

WANTED
DRACULE MIHAWK
(STEVEN WARD)
ARLONG (MCKINLEY BELCHER III)
A saw-shark fishman who is marginalized and preyed upon
WANTED
A flamboyant and deadly accurate swordsman universally
acknowledged as the best in the world. Zoro sets his sights
by humans. He fights back by forming his own powerful
Arlong Pirate faction with plans to become the dominant
DON KRIEG (MILTON SCHORR)
on besting him for the title.
The Admiral of the Krieg Pirates.
power in the world.
Bounty: 17,000,000 Berry
Bounty: Unknown Bounty: 20,000,000 Berry
Weapons: Armor loaded with a variety of weapons.
Weapons: A Grosse Messer sword. Weapons: Shark Saw sword.
BEHIND-TH

MAKING O
E-SCENES
FACTS ABO
UT the

ON F
E PIECE

“I think a w
ord that
but ONE
PIECE is ’no s typicall
y used fo
r adaptati
ful. I pref t a groun ons like
er ‘tangib ded worl
places, th le.’ You d. It’s w this is ‘g
rounded,’
ese peopl want to be hat makes
e can exist ab le it so wo
we built
so many . That idea dro to fe el that thes nder-
the fish sets prac ve a lot e things,
tically. I these
want them
men over
CGI, becaus t’s why we le o
aned into
f th e crafts. I
t’s why
to feel re e you want prostheti
al.” everything cs for
to feel ta
- Matt Ow ngible. Y
ens, Co -Showrun ou
ner
 Pr oduct ion Des ign

• Production Designer Richard

Bridgland (The Nice Guys, Amer-
ican Ultra) adhered to an over-
all ethos of grounded fantasy
throughout each and every one
of his sets, paying homage to the
way certain ships and villages
were originally drawn in Eiichiro
Oda’s manga, while translating •B
 ridgland and his team were given a head start on the massive ships need-
them for a live action adaptation. ed for ONE PIECE by repurposing ships that were initially built for the
production of Black Sails. Most of the crew members who worked on the
series (which went off the air in 2017) also worked on ONE PIECE. “Our
show is a lot weirder and wackier than Black Sails, but a lot of the basics
of building out the ships, shooting on water, all of that kind of stuff, our
• “It was important that every ship
crew knew how to handle already,” notes Bridgland.
and set have a backstory and sense
of history. Even if the audience
never learns about the backsto-
ry, it was important to me that it
existed nonetheless so that there •A
 ll of the interiors for the ships were filmed on sound stages with the
was a sense of belonging for exception of Captain Alvida’s ship,Miss Love Duck, which was one of the
all of these disparate places and largest repurposed vessels from Black Sails. (It was previously called the
things you see. It was important Man O’ War). The crew was able to film a handful of scenes in the belly of
to have a sense of history to con- the actual boat - a true beast of a set…painted entirely in pink.
nect everything.”
However, two ships were built entirely from scratch:

• The first was the Straw Hats’ iconic ship, The Going Merry.
“Each ship has its own personality and the Going Mer-
ry had to encapsulate the feel of the Straw Hat crew - it
had to have a sense of fun. It also had to evoke a sense of
home. So the galley was deliberately designed to look like a
big kitchen that we’d all recognize.”

• The Baratie, whose design was based on a Span-

second was
ish galleon hull.Quirky aspects of the ship, like its fish
head figurehead, were taken directly from the manga, while
other details, some of which aren’t even seen on cam-
era, were added just to give the set a richness and depth.
The menu items, for instance, are all dishes that are seen
throughout the manga. The paintings inside the main dining
room also depict locations seen throughout the world of
ONE PIECE - places that Zeff, the head chef, would’ve
visited on his voyages.

In a similar vein, the wild assortment of paintings and

knick-knacks seen inside Kaya’s mansion were sourced with
just as much intentionality.“Kaya’s family were shipbuilders,
so we figured that they basically made ships for everybody -
including pirates who might not always have money…but might
have a whole load of fine porcelain that they robbed off
someone. And so, in exchange for a ship, they’d give Kaya’s
family the stolen porcelain instead.”

• Eagle-eyed fans of the manga will also be able to spot

certain ships from the world of ONE PIECE in paintings
throughout the mansion, as well.

• The closet in Kaya’s home was a last-minute addition to

the script, so to save on time and money, Brigdland used a
trick he remembered while visiting an art school in Lenin-
grad: nearly all the costumes were made out of brown paper.

•B
 uggy’s big-top tent was designed to look • Bridgland Coco Vil-
also infused
like a mobile headquarters of sorts for lage with easter eggs: Colorful
the clown pirate.The panels are made of paper kites in the shape of ani-
sails that were “stitched together in a mals unique to the world of ONE
slightly anarchic way. The posts that hold PIECE can be seen throughout,
it up are made from old masts, and the including the panda bat and lion pig.
platforms the acrobats perform on are
actually crow’s nests from pirate ships,” • As an overall reference, Bridgland
explains Bridgland. The exterior of the used Oda’s Rurubu, a compendi-
tent was also made to look like a ship and um that serves as travel guide to
not a traditional big-top. The clown head the world of ONE PIECE. Many
at the entrance is a nod to the figurehead of the locations Oda created for
on Buggy’s ship in the manga. ONE PIECE were taken directly
from real world places - actual
•A
 rlong Park is featured heavily in the man- Balinese pagodas, storefronts in
ga, so Bridgland and his team had a bevy of Florence, Italy; Belton House in
references while building out the set. The the UK, to name a few. (Super-fans
pagoda, the lagoon, and the grounds were of the manga have been known to use
given facades that resembled what a tradi- the Rurubu as an actual travel guide
tional temple would look like if it had been on their vacations.)
overtaken by a party animal and transformed
into a Las Vegas-style fun fair.
Costumes
• Luffy’s iconic red vest and blue trousers
were darned by hand to give the effect
that each item had had a long life before
Luffy came to own and constantly wear the
garment.

• A milliner hand-stitched over 45 straw

hats for the series. The straw was import-
• For Costume Designer Diana Cilliers (Warrior, ed from Panama and each hat was created
Chappie), the primary challenge was to turn Oda’s to reflect various stages of wear-and-
illustrations into three-dimensional, wearable outfits tear.
that honored the original illustrations, but also allowed
its wearers to move comfortably, especially during stunt
• The fabrics for Sanji’s costumes were
sequences. To ensure accuracy of color and cut for some
sourced from a warehouse of designer
of the more iconic looks, Cilliers used the One Piece
fabrics just outside of Florence, Ita-
Color Walk compendium as a bible. ly. The fabrics had to look sharp when
tailored into a suit, but allow for move-
• Cilliers oversaw a team of roughly 70 costumers, ment during Taz Skylar’s stunts. Skylar’s
including shoemakers, milliners, tailors, and buyers. rings were made by a jeweler in London.
She also traveled far and wide to source materials as
many fabrics weren’t readily available in South Africa. • In outfitting the Marines and Vice
Admiral Garp, Ciliier wanted to give them
• Since many of the costumes for ONE PIECE were adapt- an authoritative look, but “didn’t want
ed, rather than designed from scratch, Cilliers turned to them to come across as evil or hardcore
interesting textiles to put a personal stamp on her work. militar,” she notes. “I wanted them to
She used everything from quilted bedding to kilim rugs look stylish and grand, so I used photos
and fine Italian leathers for some of the looks. “I really from military forces throughout the ages,
wanted to enhance the three-dimensional quality of the especially back when
costumes, so texture for me was really important. Oda’s they used to wear capes.”
drawings are wonderful, but you need to give them move-
ment and texture and not just flat color.”
S P EC IA L EF FE C T S & P RO S T H ET IC M
A K EU P
According to Prosthetics De- A life-sized silicon mold of Buggy’s
signer Jaco Snyman (Mad Max: head that was made for the series now
Fury Road, District 9), leaning resides in Snyman’s home. (Visitors
away from CGI whenever possi- who stay in his guest room beware.)
ble helped capture some of the
wackier aspects of ONE PIECE
and allowed the actors to feel
Four fully animatronic transpon-
as though they were actually
der snails that are roughly the size
immersed in a world unlike any
of house cats were created for the
other. “Instead of just using VFX
show as well. “We had this cool op-
characters straight off the bat as
portunity to make puppets and it was
they do in some other shows, we
just so much fun to play with them.
got to create these amazing pros-
We have an animatronic device that
thetics so the actors really got
plugs into the inside of the puppet
to live with these characters and
that can make the eye stalks bend
stay true to Oda’s vision.”
and rotate. They also have different
detachable eyeballs so we could give
them a variety of expressions and
Getting Arlong, Kuroobi, and add a little bit of movement to the
Chew into character may have re- face - sometimes they’re sleeping,
quired the most number of hours so the little eye stalks droop. They
in the makeup chair for the ac- were so much fun.”
tors portraying them - anywhere
from 3-5 hours - but mapping
out their looks ahead of time was
The snails were also customized
faster than normal. Snyman digi-
to look like their owners. Garp’s
tally designed each of their looks
snail, for instance, sports a row
after taking 3D scans of the
of pearly white teeth and a beard.
actors and then created printed
Says Co-Showrunner Matt Owens:
molds of each piece. The pro- “We didn’t want to shy away from
cess only took about 2 weeks. “It
any of the weird elements that make
sped up our workflow immensely
up this world. We’re just tell-
and allowed us to be a lot more
ing the audience, ‘Hey, phones are
accurate with our designs. We snails in this world. It is what it
could quickly test something, and
is. Accept it.’”
if it didn’t work, quickly alter the
digital files, fix whatever needed
fixing, and then reprint the molds.
And then a day or two later, we
could test the prosthetic again.
Once we’re happy with the look,
we could print out two or three
sets of molds and cast three or
four pieces at the same time. And
if anything broke, you just print
another one!” In total, Snyman
had a bank of five resin printers
and 10 plastic printers.

The shape and texture of Buggy’s nose went

through several iterations. The intended ef-
fect was to have it look like a typical red,
round clown’s nose, but actually look like
it was a part of his face. So Snyman and his
team created a prosthetic that was bulbous
enough to look clown-like, but has a skin-
like texture to it.
 STUNTS

• The biggest challenge for Snyman was designing

• Stunt Coordinator Franz Spilhaus (Shamshera, Commando 2) sequences for the actors in full prosthetic makeup.
worked with master swordsman Koji Kawamoto to choreograph all
“Some of the prosthetic masks were quite restrictive
of Mackenyu’s scenes. The actor, who’s been training with swords
in what you could see and were very difficult to fight
and in martial arts his entire life, naturally picked up on every-
in. They also had these prosthetic gloves that they had
thing from the choreography to the wire work in a matter of hours.
to put on their hands which made it really tough for
them to hold onto any weapons. And it was the middle
• All of the blades - from Zoro’s katanas to Mihawk’s 8-foot-long of winter, so it was about 10 degrees celsius and then
sword - were constructed of lightweight carbon fiber with foam
you had to jump in the water, which was colder. The
handles to allow the actors to move with lightning speed.
stunt guys really earned their pay on those days!”