Breaking industry norms, Taz Skylar voiced Sanji with his own accent—a bold, personal choice he stood by. Against all odds, it worked—and made a statement.
At times, he seems unstoppable. Taz Skylar speaks with the conviction of someone who’s already questioned everything—and found his answers through action, not theory. Acting wasn’t his original plan, but it’s become his most fertile ground. “I wanted to join the British army,” he says, “but I ended up acting almost by accident.” What he found wasn’t just a career, but a way to learn. “From screenwriters I idolized, from people in the industry. I don’t really learn from schools or universities… I learn by immersing myself, by getting involved”, he explains.
With that hands-on approach, it’s no surprise that Taz Skylar turned Sanji, his character in Netflix’s live-action ‘One Piece’, into something more than just a role. “Before Sanji, I didn’t take acting that seriously”, he admits. “When this came up, I had to decide: do I really want to do this? Around the same time, I got offered another part—easier, more familiar—playing a surfer with a director I loved. I could’ve taken that and coasted. But I chose this, and the moment I did, it was full commitment. I gave it everything.”
That commitment extended far beyond the screen. He even dubbed Sanji’s Spanish voice himself—with his natural Canarian accent, something almost unheard of in major productions. And he did it from Brazil. “We’d just done an event in São Paulo, and I stayed an extra week to record. I’d never done voice work before, but I knew I didn’t want to ‘standardize’ the character’s voice,” he says. “Sanji’s a prince who didn’t grow up in the palace. It made sense for him to sound different. I’d never heard anyone do voiceover in Canarian before. Some people wanted to change it, but I explained my reasons—and once I did, they backed me.”
Still, it was a creative challenge. “The accent relies so much on vocabulary. If the script doesn’t match, it can feel jarring—not this or that. I still need to find the right rhythm. Maybe it’s about adjusting the dialogue or neutralizing some words… I’ll get there eventually,” he laughs.
That blend of instinct and cultural awareness isn’t new for Skylar, who was born in Tenerife to a Lebanese father and a Yorkshire-born mother. “From my dad, I get that warm, loving energy. From my mum, the drive and tenacity. Once, on set, someone told me I was intense, and I looked up the word: ‘a force concentrated in one spot’. That’s my mum.”
Intensity is something that served him well while filming ‘Cleaner’, alongside Clive Owen and Daisy Ridley, under the direction of Martin Campbell. The prep time was brutal: “I finished one film, and four days later, I was on this one. I had to dive deep—my character had really niche, antihumanist ideologies. I read manifestos, trained in jiu-jitsu—it was a rawer, more aggressive fighting style than what I do in the series.”
About working with Campbell, he doesn’t sugarcoat it: “He’s intense. He doesn’t care how you feel—only about what’s best for the film. And I respect that. It pushes me to be better. Clive’s also focused, sharp, fast. I learned a lot from both of them. And Daisy’s a great actress too.”
“In a world where everyone’s telling you who you are or who you should be, it’s crucial to know who you are right now—in your own opinion.”
Taz Skylar
When asked about genres he’s still curious to explore, his answer is both surprising and sincere: “I’d love to work on a film by Florian Zeller. I love his plays and movies. One time, I was doing a play, and a friend said, ‘Hey, I know someone who’s a huge fan of the show and wants to call you.’ I said sure, gave my number, didn’t think much of it. Then the contact pops up: Hugh Jackman. I thought, no way, it’s probably just someone else named Hugh Jackman.” He laughs, remembering. “Then one day I’m cutting onions for a salad, and I get a Facetime. It’s him. We talked for an hour and a half. He gave me advice on training, stunts, dealing with fans… Turned out he was in London filming Zeller’s second movie, The Son, after The Father. I told him I was planning to get a black belt fast—he told me to send a pic when I did. I got it, sent it to him, and he Facetimed again to say congrats.”
The story is told with zero ego, just genuine warmth—and maybe that’s what makes him such a singular presence. In a world full of noise, Skylar seems unusually grounded. Especially when it comes to style. “Everything depends on context. I adapt easily. But when it comes to fashion, I stay true to myself. On a shoot, sure—we can play. But on a normal day or a red carpet, you won’t see me dressed like one of my characters. I don’t want to feel like I’m in costume while talking to someone I respect. It’s like showing up to a serious event and I’m the only one in a carnival outfit. No, thanks.”
That clarity has become a quiet anchor. “When everything started getting a bit crazy with the fandom, one of the first things I needed to protect was my sense of self. In a world where everyone’s constantly telling you who you are, who you were, or who you could be, it’s crucial to know who you are right now, in your own opinion. When you’re clear on that, everything works. But when I let people convince me otherwise… everything goes wrong.”
Between languages, martial arts, cult roles and FaceTime calls from Hollywood legends, Taz Skylar isn’t following anyone’s script. He’s writing his own—with the same intensity he inherited, concentrated in exactly the right place.
Credits:
Ph @laurachapmanc
Styling @hernanripiert
Grooming @carlamuah
Thanks @granviacomunica
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