One Piece: Bridgerton star says casting backlash 'not acceptable'

Landing a role in one of the biggest TV shows on the planet is a reason for any actor to celebrate. That moment came for Charithra Chandran in 2024, when she was revealed as the latest addition to the cast of One Piece. The Netflix show is a live-action adaptation of the incredibly popular manga (comic) created by Japanese artist Eiichiro Oda, which has reportedly sold 600 million volumes worldwide since it launched in 1997. Chandran, who also starred in season two of Bridgerton, tells BBC Newsbeat she wasn't too familiar with the source material before she was cast. "I couldn't believe how I had not interacted with One Piece prior to this, because it is huge," she says. "And now I am in the universe, I see it absolutely everywhere." The decision to cast Chandran prompted backlash from a vocal set of fans, but it wasn't her lack of familiarity with the source material that upset them. The epic, high seas adventure follows hero Monkey D Luffy, leader of the Straw Hat pirates, on a worldwide hunt for a treasure known as the One Piece. Chandran's character Nefertari Vivi, a blue-haired bounty hunter with a secret in her past, is introduced to viewers in season two. Vivi, who operates