We were joined on the Popternative show by Mikaela Hoover (Beef, Superman), who joins Season 2 of Netflix’s live-action One Piece, which premiered March 10. Hoover lends her voice to and does the facial capture for Tony Tony Chopper, one of the most anticipated additions to the series, and a beloved character in the manga series.
A hybrid human-reindeer who gained his powers after eating a Devil Fruit, Chopper can transform between multiple forms and serves as the Straw Hat Pirates’ skilled doctor. As the newest member of the crew, he quickly becomes an essential part of the story. With the series already renewed for a third season, fans can expect to see much more of Chopper, as Hoover has been promoted to a series regular for the upcoming season.
Hoover admits she was initially unfamiliar with One Piece and Chopper’s cute aesthetic. She prepared her auditioned by portraying Chopper as a “slimy, one-eyed, ugly creature,” a creative choice that she feels ultimately helped her land the role.
She explains: “So, because of the audition and the way that I pictured him, it’s actually the way that I still picture Chopper which I think is really cool because Chopper doesn’t see himself as cute. Chopper sees himself as a monster, and until I see Chopper on screen, I always think of him as this monster because that was my first impression of of this character. When I got the audition, it was the most fun I’ve ever had doing an audition because I was playing around with different voices and trying to find the vulnerability in him. And because he was a a little boy, I added in this, like, gruffness to him that that made him sound more like a little boy.”
Watch the full conversation with Mikaela Hoover below.
Season 2 of One Piece is streaming on Netflix.
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