Unleashing the animated world
Discover the captivating journey of Taz Skylar, an actor with boundless energy, as he prepares to embody the animated character Sanji from One Piece in a live-action adaptation. From studying deliberate details to mastering the art of cooking, Skylar’s unwavering dedication shines through. With a focus on authenticity and defying expectations, he navigates the challenges of portraying beloved characters and transcending mediums with his versatile talent as an actor and writer.
Interview Flint Photography Christian Trippe
Jacket – Salted Greens, Trousers – Rebecca Barker, Shoes – JW Anderson x Converse
As an actor, how do you prepare to play an animated character in live-action (Sanji from One Piece)?
Whenever you see references of the character, (Sanji) I don’t have to worry about my interpretation being anything close or anything that is copying or resembling anything that anyone else has done. I get a clean slate when I do it. But secondly, with it being animation, there’s not a single thing you see that isn’t deliberately done.
You know, when you’re seeing live-action films, some things may be deliberate, some things may be accidental. When it’s a drawing, absolutely everything is on purpose. So you can look how does he stand versus how does another character in the show stand. What does that mean? How does that look? Because maybe it looks literal, maybe it looks exactly how it is, or maybe that means something. And I can make that, I can put that into reality. For me, it was about adding enough things together that it made something.
So, you kind of had to build the idiosyncrasies of the character?
Exactly, from the way they stand, and everything else also influences that, like the suit for example. There’s a very specific way that you stand when wearing a suit. I don’t sit back in a suit – it makes you stand a certain way. Different shoes make you stand a certain way and even make you behave a certain way because you wouldn’t put your shoes up on your knee as easily as you would with a pair of vans, like all those things influence.
Also, what he does on a daily basis, like posture is important in the kitchen. If you’re slumped over a table all day, you’re going to have that. So you innately have to have good posture for that. That seeps into your everyday.
What else did you have to learn to play Sanji? The first things that jump to my mind about his character are his fighting style and his profession (he’s a chef).
Every other character has an external object they had to practice with. This doesn’t diminish the process of learning how to be good at something. However, in my case, I couldn’t learn to use the object until it became usable. Understanding the mechanics of kicking, for example, doesn’t count unless you can reach the target.
It was a challenging experience, the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. Cooking was fine because you can learn the necessary skills. Combining ingredients is different from using a knife efficiently.
The mise en place?
That was attainable, but training with the character in the kitchen was a daily commitment. In South Africa, the training started with an hour a day and gradually increased to two, four, six, and eventually eight hours a day, divided into increments. It was a rigorous process that required dedication and perseverance.
Blazer – Alina Olive, Jacket & Shorts – Sergio Tacchini, Shoes Underground
“The training started with an hour a day and gradually increased to two, four, six, and eventually eight hours a day.”
Was martial arts something you already knew, which helped you find the role?
No, not really. I’ve never done martial arts in my life before.
The axe kick was on point though.
Oh, bless. OK! YEEEEE. You actually smiled when you said it. I’ll buy it! It wasn’t for free.
What can you do to prepare for not only just a big role but one with such a loyal and dedicated fan base as One Piece?
Every time I get asked that question, I have a different thought, but they all end up at the same place, which is you just don’t listen to what everyone else is saying.
Jacket – Emren, Shirts – Alina Olive, Trousers – Salted Greens, Shoes – JW Anderson x Converse
“I’ve never gone psycho like I’ve gone psycho on this. This is the hardest I’ve ever worked for anything in my entire life.”
Taz on preparing for his role of Sanji
Jacket – Emren, Shirts – Alina Olive, Trousers – Salted Greens, Shoes – JW Anderson x Converse
I remember you once quoted Matthew McConaughey in an interview.
Yes, yeah. “Be less impressed and more involved.” Yeah, just sort of go with it. That’s all you can do really, and that’s what fed into it.
I’ve never gone psycho like I’ve gone psycho on this. This is the hardest I’ve ever worked for anything in my entire life. But part of it was because of the pressure, which I don’t like admitting because I don’t think it’s a useful sentiment. My way of dealing with the pressure was to go, “Well, at least if I do everything that I know is humanly possible by my standards. And then, you know, if people don’t like it, I can’t go, ‘Oh, well, maybe just Ignore them and go for it.”
You have acted on stage, as an animated character in live action, and on the big screen. Do you feel a difference to act and performing in different mediums?
People love to say there is. I honestly don’t think there is that much. I think the volume, yes, like cool. Sometimes it is a bigger space – you have to be louder. It’s a quieter space – you don’t have to be as loud, but you still have to have a gauge on your voice. And really, I think it comes down more to tone, because if we compare stage to screen, there can be a hyper-naturalistic thing that’s on stage and a Coen Brothers-esque non-naturalistic thing on screen, and it’s not necessary. You not call one ‘stage acting’ and one ‘screen acting’, it’s more just what the text is. I guess having done long shoots, I have learned things that lend itself to the screen.
Like today (during our shoot) there was a debate about having this idea in your head but then it doesn’t really matter if the idea is right but it doesn’t read well on screen. You also have to be aware of that. But to be fair, you also got to be aware of whether something’s written on stage, you know, certain actions that you may do – if it’s not readable to the person furthest away in the audience, it doesn’t work. So that’s why I kind of think it’s more everything is a case-by-case basis and the medium I don’t think is at the top of the list of how I’d like something to be different.
Besides acting you also love to write – is this something that comes naturally to you?
I love writing but I’m dyslexic, so spelling doesn’t come naturally to me and grammar doesn’t come naturally to me. My first play had loads of typos in it. I only figured it out when we were about to publish it that there were all these typos. Without sounding cheesy about it, but story is the way that a lot of us make sense of anything. We’ve all got those films that we put on or those
books that we read, all those things that are story-oriented that we have around us at certain points in our life where we need them.
Like One Piece perhaps?
Perfect example, and that is the key to so many people who’ve watched that show and read the Manga since they were little.
Jacket – Jenn Lee, Shirt – Ends with NS, Chain – Ralph Lauren
“I got a stack of books, that I’m in love with.… My goal is to turn those books into shows or films and there’s one in particular at the top of that stack, which I’m trying to put out into the universe in a way that maybe might come back around.”
Jacket – Salted Greens, Trousers – Rebecca Barker, Shoes – JW Anderson x Converse
What other new projects do you maybe have locked away?
Yeah, it’s a secretive thing. Just from a jinxing perspective, I don’t want to say, but I got a stack of books, that I’m in love with. And when I say love, it is deep deep love for these characters in these books, almost like a family member. But (to me) they’re real people whose lives just enamour me. My goal is to turn those books into shows or films and there’s one in particular at the top of that stack, which I’m trying to put out into the universe in a way that maybe might come back around. But, if I can make five of those books into a film I will die a happy man.
Your love for extreme sports seems to shine through. Do you think extreme sports has moulded your creativity in any way?
Yeah, but I guess extreme sports get a bad rep that gives you a reputation for being extreme right? And what I say about extreme sports is, that it teaches you so much about life because with every extreme sport, there is a goal. You know, like with the plane (skydiving), there’s no hesitation. You never see someone who’s a skydiver think ”Ah, ooo, ahh” ( hesitating). No you go and it’s the same with jumping off a cliff, climbing something you can’t get halfway up say “No”. Like you want to come down (you still have to jump), that I think that teaches you a lot. I recommend anyone to try extreme sports.
What advice would you give to someone trying to find their creative space?
Paddle against the stream and you’ll make some progress. But if you go with the stream, you have the full power of the stream at your disposal. It takes so many people so long (to realise this). Also most of the time you don’t even know which way the stream is going. You’re just trying different things, the same as the wind. Like sometimes you have to admit and stick your hand up and go like, I don’t actually know which way the wind blowing. Unless you maybe bit a kite up and feel which was is the right directions. There’s a lot of trial and error. For every one thing that has gone well in my life, there are about 20 where I was going upstream.
Jacket – Alexander Nicolich, Shirt – Ends with NS, Trousers – Only The Blind, Shoes Underground, Glasses – Messy Weekend
To keep up with Taz follow him on Instagram or check out the official One Piece account on Instagram
TEAM CREDITS
Interview Flint
Photographer Christian Trippe
Styling Stevie Gatez
Grooming Nick Barford
Photo assistant Tom Beck
Location Electrowerkz
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