Joe Manganiello was one of the bigger named actors to join the cast of Netflix's live-action One Piece series for its second season. The True Blood and Spider-Man actor will portray the live-action version of Mr. 0/Crocodile in the upcoming season.
Despite an impressive resume, Joe Manganiello had some serious praise for One Piece, calling it the coolest project he's ever worked on.
In a recent interview, courtesy @theevesapple, Manganiello revealed that he had seen what was shot for Season 2, and his comments regarding the series have fans buzzing with excitement.
"I've seen what we shot for Season 2. I went into the office and watched it and I don't know that I'm ever gonna look that cool again. It's about the coolest thing I think I've ever done. It's awesome," Manganiello said.
When asked to compare it to his role as Alcide in True Blood, the actor stated: "The coolest thing I've ever done. It's so cool. I couldn't believe what I was watching because when you look at all of those peices, there's a lot going on and it seems crazy. But all put together, and the set that they built for me, it's amazing."
Manganiello went on to explain that the One Piece series feels like a wild dream about pirates, adding that his job is "to make it real and feel like you understand who the characters."
"When it's at its best, the One Piece live-action can make people cry and can make people feel something emotionally," he continued. "I take that part very seriously because I want people to feel something and I want to understand the mythology of my character and what is the story that we're telling about life or about growing up or about changing or about handling defeat. It's important."
Crocodile/Mr. 0 is one of the main antagonists in One Piece, particularly in the Alabasta Arc where he tries to overthrow the kingdom of Alabasta by manipulating civil war. As Sir Crocodile, he's one of the Seven Warlords of the Seas; however, he also goes by his code name Mr. 0 while acting as the secret leader of Baroque Works, a crime syndicate that operates under the guise of hunting down evil pirates.
Without getting into spoiler territory, Manganiello's comments, particularly the focus on how to handle defeat, has convinced fans that he understands the source material and themes of One Piece.
His comments actually echo ones he made back when his casting was first announced.
"I have like tables and chairs full of all these different versions of Crocodile to look at while I'm going through this material. But I mean, for me, a lot of it is, it has to be real.And especially when you're playing a character that people want to call a 'villain,' it's like, well, he just has different intentions. And a different path than some of the other characters."
Manganiello also compared Mr. 0 to Luffy, explaining that he "represents this dark potential future" for the young captain. Seeing how passionate Manganiello is for One Piece and how seriously he's taken the role should definitely have fans excited for the upcoming second season.
Unfortunately, we're still not entirely sure when we'll get to see it. Netflix recently narrowed Season 2's release window to 2026, but we still don't have a specific premiere date.