Iñaki Godoy

The Boy Who Wouldn't Stop Shouting

Iñaki Godoy was born in Mexico City on August 25, 2003. At age five, his parents enrolled him in the Stage Company of the Instituto Arte Dramático because he needed a place to channel his energy. There he learned to dance and sing, but above all he understood that acting is a craft of endurance.

At age thirteen, he landed his first major role in the series La querida del Centauro from 2016. During that shoot, the young actor realized that Mexican television demanded an almost military discipline. He worked surrounded by veterans and never arrived on set without having memorized the script.

And the industry was quick to take notice of him.

In 2018 he appeared in Sin miedo a la verdad and shortly after shot his first feature film, ¡Ánimo, Juventud!, in 2020. This movie was key to his growth as an actor. Playing a rebellious teenager in a chaotic city allowed him to move away from child roles and prove he could carry the weight of a story of his own without relying on big special effects.

The Algorithm and Eiichiro Oda's Blessing

His breakout into the global market came in 2021 when Netflix signed him for ¿Quién mató a Sara? He played Bruno, and his face began appearing on television screens across half the world. But what seemed like the peak of his career was only the prelude to a much riskier bet by the California-based streaming platform.

Producing One Piece in 2023 was an unprecedented logistical and emotional challenge for an actor his age. The casting team spent months looking for someone who could portray Monkey D. Luffy without falling into caricature. They auditioned hundreds of candidates from every nationality.

But Iñaki appeared in a video, and the creator of the original manga realized it was him.

Eiichiro Oda said he couldn't imagine anyone else for the role after seeing his audition. Filming in South Africa in 2022 forced the Mexican actor to train physically for grueling action scenes. The budget for each episode exceeded 17 million dollars, and the pressure from fans of the original material was constant on social media.

Managing the Media Storm

After the series premiered in August 2023, his life changed dramatically in terms of exposure. He went from being a supporting actor in local productions to leading a franchise that draws millions of viewers. Still, he kept a low profile and chose to focus on improving his acting craft between shoots.

In 2022, he also starred in The Imperfects for Netflix. Although the series was canceled after its first season, it taught him how the science fiction machine works in Hollywood. In this industry, a technical misstep can be just as educational as a massive hit.

His training doesn't stop on the set. Iñaki Godoy has repeatedly expressed interest in directing and screenwriting. In 2024, he balanced his promotional commitments with studying the history of classic cinema, because he wants to understand the mechanics behind the camera.

Filming for the second season of One Piece officially began in June 2024 in Cape Town. His contract includes exclusivity clauses that limit his appearances in other major projects over the coming years. The production team confirmed that filming of these new episodes would run until early 2025.