Zoro’s Actor And One Piece Live Action Star Mackenyu Describes His Biggest Challenge On Set
Zoro’s battle with Mihawk and his habit of constantly sleeping on the Going Merry were his toughest challenges, amongst others.
It goes without saying that adapting an anime series like One Piece into live action is no easy task and comes with its own set of challenges. And the actors in the live-action series are no exception to this.
In a recent interview during the German Film & Comic Con event, Zoro’s actor Mackenyu Maeda discussed his most difficult performance as Zoro, which rendered his portrayal of the character a formidable task. Additionally, he recounted the most challenging battle he encountered in season one, which contributed to his increased effort for the Zoro scenario.
Mackenyu admits that his most challenging scene was his battle with Mihawk because he was afraid he might mess up one of the most iconic moments in One Piece and a sequence very dear to Zoro fans.
In addition to that, he found Zoro’s habit of constantly sleeping on the Going Merry really troubling. What he means is, whenever he had to do scenes where Zoro falls asleep on deck or on the bed, he found it extremely hard to keep awake.
In fact, he admitted to having dozed off a couple of times during such scenes.
Mackenyu (Zoro) — German Film & Comic Con
"[The most challenging scene] was with Mihawk. It's a heavy scene for Zoro & it's a very iconic scene in One Piece. I did not want to mess it up."
"It was very hard to keep awake when I am lying on the bed unconscious. I was so sleepy.… pic.twitter.com/lnmpZpJ1C7
— ONE PIECE NETFLIX FAN (@OP_Netflix_Fan) December 4, 2023
Zoro’s night-shift of guarding the ship, according to a statement by Eiichiro Oda, prevented him from getting enough rest. Consequently, he frequently retires for rests during that period. Mackenyu encountered a challenging circumstance during the first season of the live-action adaptation of One Piece due to this renowned Zoro trait.
(Zoro sleeping)
About One Piece:
One Piece manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump since July 1997, with its individual chapters compiled into 107 tankōbon volumes as of November 2023.
The manga spawned a media franchise, having been adapted into a festival film by Production I.G, and an anime series by Toei Animation, which began broadcasting in 1999. Additionally, Toei has developed fourteen animated feature films, one original video animation, and thirteen television specials.
The latest entry in the franchise, One Piece Film Red, premiered in Japan in August 2022. It is the 8th highest-earning film of all time in Japan and also topped Japan’s box office for the year 2022 in terms of both yen earned and tickets sold.
One Piece Anime Synopsis:
The tale of One Piece takes place on a parallel Earth when the ‘Golden Age of Pirates’ is in full swing.
The seas are ruled by ruthless pirates, and only the strongest can claim the legendary ‘One Piece’ fortune left behind by the greatest pirate of them, Gol D. Roger.
Years after Gol D. Roger’s death, Monkey D. Luffy dreams of establishing his own crew, locating One Piece, and becoming the Pirate King.
Luffy has incredible strength and agility after eating a devil’s fruit that turns his body into rubber.
He leaves Foosha Village in East Blue on his epic expedition to become the next Pirate King.
Source: Twitter
