With filming currently underway on the next season of the show, David Dastmalchian teases the arrival of his new Baroque Works villain inOne Pieceseason 2. The live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s manga of the same name became a surprise hit in the world of American live-action anime adaptations, breaking the genre curse once carried by the likes ofGhost in the ShellandCowboy Bebop.One Pieceseason 2 was swiftly confirmedtwo weeks after the show’s premiere, with a number of new actors announced in the time since, including Dastmalchian as key Baroque Works antagonist, Mr. 3.
During a recent interview withThe Nerdistto discuss his upcomingKnights vs. Samuraicomics, Dastmalchian was asked about his approach to playing Mr. 3 inOne Pieceseason 2. The star, who has not begun his filming for the season yet, began by describing the Baroque Works villain as a “unique” and “fantastically interesting odd character”, with the big key for his approach to playing the character being"finding the David that lives inside of Galdino":
I mean, he’s so unique and such a fantastically interesting odd character. So, the idea of getting to be a part of what is already an amazing ensemble is incredible—I think that season one was just so great. And I think that what I want to bring to him is finding the David that lives inside of Galdino. I want to find the David that is, I mean, he was just an office worker at Baroque Works, and now he’s this really cool, weird, often seen-as-bad guy character whose alliances can kind of shift around just like so many of the characters in One Piece. And I’m excited to see what they want to do because they’ve done such an exceptional job making the anime and the manga into a live-action world.
When asked about his own horror roots and their potential connection to the role, Dastmalchian “a hundred percent"wants to use this as inspiration for playing the character, in addition to his theatrical background. The star did note, though, thathe hasn’t “seen anything yet” as to the live-action version of Mr. 3’s design, and expressed being “super curious” about the eyewear the production team want him to wear:
A hundred percent [I want to bring my horror roots to the character]. Also, there’s a level of energy and performance that the show taps into really well when you think about the source material. So I would also like to bring some of my theater background into the world of One Piece and what Mr. 3 looks, moves, and speaks like. Hopefully, no one will be able to hold a candle to what I’m about to do. I haven’t seen anything yet, but I know that the design team on the show has done such a great job staying true to the source material. So even though I haven’t seen anything yet, and I don’t know what it will look like yet, I am certain it’s going to pay great honor to the design from the source material. And I am just super curious about what kind of eyewear I’m going to get to have, and I’ll see if I can maybe hopefully make my arms look decent enough to be wearing the very short sleeve shirts that he wears.
What Dastmalchian’s Comments Mean For One Piece Season 2
Mr. 3 May Not Have A Major Role
Arguably, the most important takeaway from Dastmalchian’s above comments is thathe has not yet begun filming onOne Pieceseason 2. Considering Netflix themselves announced the production kicked off on the new season in early July with a behind-the-scenes video of the main cast of Straw Hat Pirates reuniting, it’s somewhat surprising that Dastmalchian hasn’t even seen designs for his live-action take on Mr. 3, with there likely being two reasons for this.
The other potential reason why Dastmalchian may not have started filmingOne Pieceseason 2 is that he is being saved for a late-season introduction.
The first reason why Dastmalchian likely hasn’t begun rolling onseason 2 is thatMr. 3 will have a smaller role in comparison to the rest of the show’s cast. As faithful asOne Piecehas been to Oda’s manga, its hour-long format has led to some arcs being trimmed down into one episode, rather than the multiple 20-plus-minute episodes of the anime. This is all the more pertinent for Mr. 3’s initialOne Pieceintroduction, as his first arc took up seven episodes during the Straw Hats' time on the Little Garden island.
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With One Piece season 2 on the way, plenty of characters are set to make their live-action debut. Whether good or bad, they might steal the show.
The other potential reason why Dastmalchian may not have started filmingOne Pieceseason 2 is thathe is being saved for a late-season introduction. Showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda have promised everything from the Loguetown to Winter Island arcs, made all the more clear by the castings of everyone fromBridgerton’s Charithra Chandran as Vivi to Katey Sagal as Dr. Kureha, Joe Manganiello as Sir Crocodile and Callum Kerr as Smoker, among many others. Unless the season is longer than season 1’s eight-episode count, there just may not be enough room for Mr. 3 beyond one episode.
Our Take On Dastmalchian’s Mr. 3 Tease
One Piece Should Take Full Advantage Of The Actor’s Talents
Though his more recent success with the likes ofThe Suicide SquadandLate Night with the Devilmay have better boosted his spotlight,Dastmalchian has been on my radarsince bothThe Dark Knightand Denis Villeneuve’sPrisoners, which made me really excited to hear he’d be joining theOne Pieceseason 2 cast. Furthermore, in diving into the original anime adaptation of Oda’s manga, Mr. 3’s introduction caught my interest, as it proved to be a great arc for Vivi and the rest of the Straw Hats to learn about teamwork after nearly being defeated by him and Mr. 5.
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From a sword expert to the frightening chief of a crime syndicate, the next season of Netflix’s One Piece has many villains to explore.
That being said, considering how big of a castOne Pieceseason 2 has assembled, I would be okay if Dastmalchian’s tenure as Mr. 3 is brief in the next season,as long as he is allowed the chance to shine further in potential subsequent seasons. Those familiar with both the manga and anime know how important Mr. 3 becomes in the larger world of the franchise, particularly in becoming part of a certain fan-favorite pirate captain’s crew. With how passionate Dastmalchian sounds about bringing the character to life, it would certainly be a shame for him to not get a bigger part going forward.
One Piece
Cast
One Piece follows young pirate Monkey D. Luffy and his diverse crew as they embark on a daring quest for treasure. Released in 2023, the film brings the adventurous world of the popular manga to life, capturing Luffy’s relentless pursuit of the legendary One Piece treasure.
