Keanu Reeves Had a Big Influence on One Piece Live Action Star Taz Skylar
Anime and manga might have been perceived as childish cartoons in the past, but now the viewers are finally recognizing the magic of unique stories and well-developed characters that undertake a unique adventure in every anime.
From anime, the trend has now moved on to live-action adaptations as Netflix leads the pack with One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Carefully chosen actors that align with the roles and rigorous preparation to get every detail right are enabling creators to deliver masterful shows.
One Piece Star Taz Skylar Shares His Inspiration
Since people already know characters from animes and their roles from the story, actors need to embrace the role perfectly and satisfy the fans. When news broke that actor Taz Skylar would be playing the role of cook Sanji in the live-action One Piece, they were conflicted about whether he would be ideal for the role or not.
However, all their doubts were assuaged once they saw Skylar on screen. In fact, fans embraced every actor from the One Piece show, as evident from their public appearances at various events.
At the 12th edition of the Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC), Esquire Middle East asked Skylar about the actors and projects that influenced him the most.
Skylar is a talented man with screenwriting, acting, and even adventure sports enthusiast. He has been watching movies since he was a child and has been deeply influenced by some of the classics.
“Florian Zeller is my favorite writer. Rappers are my favorite poets. I like old films. Keanu Reeves in Point Break made me want to skydive and surf and jump out of planes. I love Bond. My dad loves Bond, we used to have a box set. I love the way those films are made. I just worked with Martin Campbell who made two of my favorite Bond films.”
From being a shy kid to now being a confident man fluent in so many skills and talents, Skylar is on his way to conquering the world of movies and shows.
He specifically enjoyed working on One Piece because the showrunners were extremely engaging and supportive since they kept checking up on the actors to ensure everyone was on the same page.
How did Taz Skylar Prepare for Sanji’s Role?
The involvement of action scenes and the fact that Skylar had to cook dishes on camera required hours of preparation and practice. Skylar recounts how he practiced every day to learn the recipe of the dishes and even trained to do his own stunts.
Sometimes, he got hurt during the sessions and had to buck up to fight another day. He said,
“It was 4 hours of training in the morning, then I’d cook a dish we needed to do for the show, repeat that dish over and over again, another 4 hours, then we’d go to the sauna and stretch, they’d pull on my legs and push on my back. That made me improve really quick but what it also did was decimate my legs. I have scar tissue on the inside of my ligaments and it took me about a year to feel like I could land on my legs without pain – I used to duct-tape my legs! I had to be quiet about it so they’d let me do my own stunts.”
Skylar’s dedication to performing the action sequences himself shows how committed he was to the role. He was more enthused than ever to get started on the second season of One Piece.
On top of that, he is also working on four different TV shows with diverse production companies. If that wasn’t enough, Skylar further shared that he wants to get the rights to adapt a book and is in talks with the author about the same.
