In One Piece, a character’s laugh is never just background noise, it’s part of their identity. For David Dastmalchian, stepping into the role of Mr. 3 in One Piece Live Action meant tackling one of the character’s most recognizable traits.
During our interview, Dastmalchian confirmed that he developed a signature chuckle for Mr. 3, approaching it with the same care he applied to every aspect of the performance.
With decades of manga and anime history behind the character, Dastmalchian knew fans already carried deeply personal ideas about how Mr. 3 should sound. He studied prior performances across subbed and dubbed versions, identifying tonal qualities that felt essential while avoiding direct imitation.
Finding Mr. 3’s Voice
For Mr. 3 in One Piece Live Action Season 2, Dastmalchian leaned into a controlled, theatrical calm, aiming for something unsettling yet composed, rather than purely exaggerated. The process involved experimenting with cadence and pacing until the laugh felt integrated, not ornamental.
Still, he acknowledged the vulnerability that comes with reinterpreting such iconic details.
“And I hope, and I pray that people are happy with it and that they enjoy the direction that I went. But it also breaks your heart whenever you see some die-hard fan that’s like, ‘That’s not how I imagined it.’”
He admitted that reactions are inevitable, especially in a franchise with such a devoted global audience. Once filming wraps, he often steps back from social media, knowing commentary can’t change the performance, only affect how it’s carried
Balancing animated theatricality with live-action realism was part of the challenge. What works in animation can feel excessive on camera, so every element, posture, delivery, even laughter, had to be carefully calibrated to fit the grounded world of the adaptation.
“So I’ve heard the English-speaking Mr. 3, who has such a distinct voice. The original actors who played Mr. 3 by voice… It’s a lot. And then I have the fact that this is such a special book to my son and to so many other people. You want to honor the tradition, and you want people to feel like this is in the space with which their imagination.”
For Dastmalchian, his version of Mr. 3’s laugh is simply another entry in an evolving canon. Like classic theatrical roles, the character continues to change with each interpretation.
And in a series where even a laugh carries meaning, he approached the detail with intention, honoring what came before while adding something uniquely his own.
