The One Piece live-action is undoubtedly a huge project for its cast members and this is especially true for Emily Rudd. The Fear Street Part Two: 1978 star has openly admitted that she actively campaigned to be cast as Nami in the upcoming Netflix series. In fact, Rudd did everything she could for several years just to catch the eye of the show's producers.
Back in 2021, the cast of the One Piece live-action series was finally announced. It was confirmed that Emily Rudd will portray Nami, a thief who eventually joins the pirate crew to pursue her dream. For Rudd, it was the result of a long campaign that started long before her casting was announced.
Emily Rudd confirmed that she went out of her way to be noticed by the creative team behind the One Piece live-action show.
"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 posted a video of myself when I was younger tumbling and doing backflips, things like that," she said.
Luckily for Rudd, all the hard work paid off as she was eventually cast as Nami in the show. Not surprisingly, she considers the role as her "dream job." With that in mind, we can't wait to meet her version of Nami in the upcoming series.
Although Emily Rudd had a great experience on the show, it wasn't always a smooth ride for the creative team. Co-showrunner Matt Owens revealed that mangaka Eiichiro Oda was "tough" on the producers as they tried to bring his work to live-action. However, Oda eventually loosened up as he realized that the team was completely committed to the source material.
One Piece will feature Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. The live-action series premieres on Netflix on August 31, 2023.
