Stepping right into a franchise as expansive as One Piece comes with expectations that go far past a typical TV function. For David Dastmalchian, taking part in Mr. 3 felt nearer to getting into a theatrical custom than becoming a member of a standard adaptation.
Throughout an interview, Dastmalchian in contrast taking up a One Piece character to performing legacy roles like Hamlet or Iago, elements that evolve by generations of reinterpretation. In his view, characters with this sort of historical past are by no means owned by a single actor. Every efficiency merely turns into half of a bigger continuum.
“That’s why a number of actors can play the identical function. You recognize, it’s very onerous typically for individuals to get their head round, ‘Effectively, the most effective Joker is so and so,’ or ‘One of the best Batman is that this particular person,’ or ‘One of the best Captain America is that this particular person.’ I perceive that as a result of that’s what you first noticed once you fell in love with a factor and your coronary heart was so hooked up to it.”
Treating Mr. 3 Like a Legacy Function
Dastmalchian famous that fandom tradition usually facilities on discovering the “finest” model of a personality, whether or not in comics, movie, or traditional literature. He sees that attachment as pure, formed by first impressions and emotional connection. However he additionally believes reinterpretation is important to storytelling.
Mr. 3 already exists throughout manga, unique Japanese performances, English dubs, and worldwide diversifications. Earlier than filming, Dastmalchian studied each subtitled and dubbed anime variations, conscious that followers have internalized particular vocal rhythms and mannerisms over a long time.
That consciousness introduced strain, but additionally readability.
“So with Mr. 3, I had quite a few components to deal with. One, that everybody who’s learn and cherished the manga has such a particular place of their coronary heart for him and the best way they’ve already imagined him sounding or transferring or wanting of their minds.”
Quite than trying replication, Dastmalchian centered on honoring recognizable traits whereas including his personal interpretation. He leaned into Mr. 3’s managed stillness, theatrical composure, and quiet psychopathy, aiming to offer the wax-wielding antagonist psychological depth as an alternative of taking part in him as a surface-level caricature.
He in contrast the method to classical theater: the textual content gives the framework, however efficiency defines tone. Each Hamlet is totally different. Each Iago carries new shades. For Dastmalchian, Mr. 3 operates by the identical precept.
With One Piece now reaching audiences throughout manga, anime, and stay motion, he views the sequence as a type of fashionable cultural canon, one which invitations reinterpretation moderately than resisting it.
His method displays a broader perception about adaptation: revisiting iconic characters isn’t a betrayal of the unique. It’s how they keep alive.
As Mr. 3 enters the Grand Line in stay motion, Dastmalchian’s portrayal turns into one other chapter in that ongoing legacy, one efficiency added to a narrative designed to evolve.
