Joe Manganiello shares dark inspiration for his One Piece character
Toei/InfoseemediaJoe Manganiello, who stars as Sir Crocodile in Netflix’s One Piece Season 2, shares his interpretation of the character and how he’s preparing for the role.
The live-action One Piece Season 2 is adapting the Alabasta Saga (sans the Alabasta Arc), which means we’ll see the Baroque Works in action in the new season. This includes their top brass: Mr. 0 (Sir Crocodile) and Miss All-Sunday (Nico Robin).
After Manganiello and Lera Abova were announced to portray the popular characters, the two sat down for a brief interview and talked about their roles.
Speaking about his research process for the iconic One Piece villain, Manganiello revealed how he has different versions of Crocodile in front of him as he goes through the material, before sharing his vision of the character.
“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’,” said the One Piece star, “It’s like, well, he just has different intentions and a different path than some of the other characters.
He further clarified: “But what I found, he’s this flip side of the coin from Luffy. Potentially. He represents this dark potential future for Luffy. If he’s affected or allows the trauma of defeat to infect him the way it was for [Crocodile].
“And I think that there’s a part of Crocodile that wants everyone to suffer the way that he did after Whitebeard, or with the disappointment of not becoming the King of the Pirates and letting that go.
“And, of course, not trusting your friends,” he jokingly ended, before saying a playful “sorry” to Abova.
Manganiello’s take on Crocodile resonated with many One Piece fans, who commended the actor for understanding the essence of the complex character. As one wrote on X, “That little giggle at the end you can tell he’s really excited about the role. I love it, man.”
“I trust in this man. Season 2 will be peak,” chimed in another.
One Piece Season 2 will be released on Netflix in 2025. Until then, check out the first look of Chopper in the live-action series. If you’re a fan of the manga, don’t forget to catch our guide on One Piece Chapter 1128.