IN ACTING, YOU LEARN THE LINES AND TONE AND IN THE SCENE YOU NEED TO PERSONIFY THAT. „
FUSION: If you could design your dream project—choosing the role, the genre, and even the director-what would that look like?
MACKENYU: ONE PIECE is what I'm doing right now and I truly couldn't ask for anything better. I'm living the dream and our director Christoph Schrewe this season is incredible.
FUSION: You've recently been developing new material in Japan. Is there anything you're able to share about that? These days, many people watch content online with subtitles, and a lot of them follow your work closely.
MACKENYU: I try to do as many projects in Japan when I can and ONE PIECE wraps. It's important to me to continue working in Japan because that is where I started and which place I most connect. I will always try and do as many projects in Japan for the fans. AND there will be new projects every year, so keep following along!
FUSION: What's the most valuable lesson you've taken from acting, and how do you apply it to your everyday life? In addition, how do you continue to grow and improve as an actor?
MACKENYU: LET IT GO! In acting, you learn the lines and tone and in the scene you need to personify that. You really need to be present in a scene to execute it correctly. If your emotion in everyday life doesn't match the scene, it will show. So learning how to let it go is the biggest takeaway for me, so that I can be present in every scene and not focus on the things that will distract me. It reflects in everyday life because it has taught me to live in the moment.
FUSION: What's next for you as an actor? What steps would you like to take in your career moving forward?
I try to focus on one role at a time to be as perfect as I can be. Right now it's perfecting 'Zoro' for the audience and every season I will try to do better and better, to make 'Zoro' shine! I will continue putting my best foot forward on every project, but right now it's ONE PIECE.