Taz Skylar - Brand New World
Referring to someone as a person of many talents may be considered hyperbole, but this is exactly what Taz Skylar embodies. An obvious multi-hyphenate, Skylar not only acts, but also writes and is proficient in Taekwondo. Having just landed a role in Netflix’s live-action series One Piece, he told us that the show has infiltrated his DNA. Clearly, we wanted to know more. Ahead of the start of the show, we had a little chat and together, we talked about all things One Piece!
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Taz Skylar in HUGO, photographed by Joe Connor in London, styled by Sylvester Yiu, grooming by Nick Barford @ Leftside Creative, Interview by C. Rusen
Congrats on starring in Netflix’s live-action series One Piece, what was it like to step into the fictional world of One Piece?
TS: The fictional world that Sanji - whom I was in love with as a character - lived in, was the whole reason I took the job. I almost went for a completely different job in the final hour, but as soon as I stepped onto those ships and met my fellow castmates I knew that no matter what, I had chosen to be in a world I was going to remember for the rest of my life. I can’t even believe that an alternate reality exists in which I wasn’t a part of One Piece. That character, that world and those people are a part of me now. It’s infiltrated my DNA as a person. The One Piece world they had built was so expansive and wild and intricate and crazy and wonderful all at the same time. I would have been happy with just the ships, but every day on set, I’d see another piece and my jaw would be dropping yet again!
SOOOO MUCH detail was put into every single element of it. The costumes, the villages, the rooms, the functionality, THE PERFORMANCES! OH, THE PERFORMANCES. My mind was completely blown on a minute-to-minute basis. From the very beginning, I knew there was no version of this where everyone wouldn’t be doing their absolute best. I couldn’t bear the thought of the One Piece world being unbuilt one day. I wanted it to exist forever and be a place I could come back to again and again. It’s a much cooler and more exciting world than the ‘real’ one we all live in.
Taz wears rose print shirt by HUGO
Interesting! Were you a fan of the original anime before, or what made you audition for this role?
TS: We used to get a lot of anime programmes on TV when I was little. It was one of the ones I used to watch. I’d lose track of it over the years and when the audition came in, the project and characters all used code names, so I had no idea it was that show I used to watch. My best friend was up to date with the anime when I found out it was One Piece. He went nuts when I told him. He thought my wanting to be an actor was funny. He was always like, “You still doing that theatre stuff?” But he started to realise it was actually my job when I told him I was about to play Sanji HA HA.
Taz wears double-breasted wool coat by HUGO
What were the most challenging and rewarding parts of playing Sanji?
TS: The kicking was without a doubt the hardest aspect of it. Unlike cooking (which is a skill learnt purely through repetition and muscle memory), kicking required me to change my anatomical proportions. I needed muscles in places I didn’t have any, I needed longer tendons and connective tissue. I basically needed new legs. I couldn’t just buy some and practice with them like I could buy a knife or a pan. I had to go through the extreme pain of stretching them past the point of tearing, while also building the strength to move them around, and working on the balance of only ever having one leg on the ground at any given time, while also learning every single one of the million variations that a kicking movement can have. IT WAS A LOT. I used to think a kick was just a kick man. But oh no my friend, I would soon find out that a kick was not just a kick and it is in fact one of the most difficult aspects of martial arts to get good at. But we figured it out!
Taz wears sequin jacket by HUGO
Could you tell us more what it took to get Sanji’s physique?
TS: I could write a whole book on this, but in short: I committed all the resources I could to it. I did shifts at every restaurant that would let me in. I would cook for my castmates. I’d cook for the stunt team, the producers, and anyone who had space in their belly to eat, they would be getting unsolicited plates of food from me. I trained in Taekwondo for eight to ten hours a day, even on the weekends. I had around ten people splitting the shifts of training me: Matt Esoff (4th Black belt in Taekwondo); Donovan Louie (Incredibly talented stuntman); Jaren Phillips (7th Dan V master); Stuart Williamson; Armando de Leca; Shawn Verth; Bronnie & Branny; Natalie Walsh, and Ambrose - I’m probably still forgetting some more!
I’d stretch literally every second that I wasn’t training. If I was watching TV, it’d be in a frog pose, or a front split. I’d stretch on nights out. In the bathroom of a restaurant. In a meeting with a director. It was nonstop. I triple-graded in Taekwondo twice in a row. I got my red belt by the time I was wrapped. I’m still training almost every day to make sure I have my black belt by the time we (hopefully) get to do this again.
Taz wears white shirt and leather gilet both by HUGO
Was there anything that particularly inspired you throughout the process?
TS: The walls of my apartment were covered in pictures that would inspire me. Sometimes it was obvious inspirations like pictures of Anthony Bourdain or Gordon Ramsay. Other times it was a detail, something like the way Sanji would stand in a certain drawing; recipes from his cookbook; a quote I’d hear him say. He’s an inspiring character. If he was real, I’d want to be his friend. There are not many people who can combine an unapologetic love for artistry, with a fiercely dangerous ability to defend themselves.
Taz wears sequin jacket by HUGO
What can we and fans expect next from you?
TS: I’ve got a few TV shows in development as a writer, that I’m really excited about. A film that I co-wrote and acted in for Amazon called ‘Gassed Up’ coming out next year. I have just wrapped up a BBC show called ‘Boiling Point’ based on the film of the same name I was also in. My goal going into this industry was always to make things that my mum could enjoy. She says she likes the stuff I’ve done and made, but she’s biased, so who knows if I’m getting it right hah? I hope I am anyway. My ultimate goal is a set of books that I have on my shelf. Biographies of certain people that I want to turn into projects, to share on screen and on stage. Fingers crossed I get to tick them all off my list, by the time I’m due to leave this earth.
Taz wears double-breasted wool coat by HUGO
And finally, what do you think SID stands for?
TS: SUPER INCREDIBLE DOPENESS. It’s that innit? No?
ONE PIECE now available to stream on Netflix, see the trailer below:
