These days, Iñaki Godoy is a household name. He stars as Monkey D. Luffy in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the beloved anime One Piece. But in many ways, Godoy is still the same kid who played the Cheshire Cat in a childhood production of Alice in Wonderland. Now, he’s playing make-believe on a much bigger stage—and embracing the opportunities that come with it.
Godoy spoke with Remezcla to celebrate his new role as Tabasco’s brand ambassador and first-ever Chief Hot Ideas Person. The role came about by chance. “In the middle of shooting Season 3 of One Piece, I was having dinner one day, and I ran out of Tabasco. I was so sad about it that I decided to post online. I thought it was a really random thing to share: I was out of hot sauce and asking people to send me some.”
Tabasco sent Godoy a box of hot sauce all the way to South Africa, making him even more popular on set. “Everyone knew that if they needed Tabasco sauce, they could go to Iñaki, and he’d have us covered.”
Then the company offered him the role of Chief Hot Ideas Person. “They came to me and said, ‘Iñaki, we want you to be the Chief Hot Ideas Person for Tabasco sauce.’ And I was like, ‘This is the best thing that has happened in my life, bigger than anything else. This is awesome.'”
He’s not kidding: he apparently puts Tabasco on everything from rice cakes topped with peanut butter, banana, and maple syrup to hot chocolate. He didn’t even balk at putting it on pan dulce. To him, it goes with everything.
Beyond hot sauce, Godoy has a few comforts, especially since he spends so much time filming away from home. “I wish I could bring my dogs, but I don’t. They’re too noisy on the plane.” He did mention socks, though. Certain pairs bring him comfort—what can we say?
“I try to travel very light. I try not to bring many things. But sometimes when I’m shooting and start craving Mexican food, my parents send some Mexican stuff to my place in South Africa.”
Food: the ultimate comfort.
Godoy also said that “continuing to have many adventures in my life and many, many fun stories is what guides me and my decisions.” He added, “If I can continue doing things in my life that are just unexpected and fun and that are true to myself, I think I would be very happy.”
He also has a few specific ambitions. “I’m very excited about the possibility of one day being behind the camera. That’s something I would love to do. But I take it step by step, right now, in this moment.”
First comes a collaboration with one of his favorite brands, then One Piece Season 3. The rest is still being written.
The first two seasons of One Piece are available to stream on Netflix.