Why Usopp From Netflix's One Piece Looks So Familiar
Netflix's tendency for making live-action remakes of storied animated series has become something of an ongoing point of debate for animation fans. The streaming service has attempted divisive remakes of everything from "Death Note" to "Cowboy Bebop," with even more on the way, such as a live-action reboot of "Avatar: The Last Airbender." However, there is one particular series that fans are waiting with baited breath to see how it turns out: the live-action remake of the long-running anime "One Piece."
Like the series it's based on, Netflix's "One Piece" will center upon the rubber-bodied Monkey D. Luffy and his band of seafaring pirates, as they travel the world searching for the legendary treasure of the One Piece. Though details are still largely under wraps for the show, including its release date, the creators recently announced which actors will play the members of the main cast via Twitter.
Some followers of the casting news may have wondered why the actor for Usopp, the goofy yet reliable member of Luffy's pirate crew, looks so familiar to them. As it turns out, Jacob Gibson has made several appearances across some major medical dramas that fans may be familiar with.
Jacob Gibson had a rough day on Grey's Anatomy
As is par for the course for many television actors, Gibson has made a guest appearance on the long-running medical drama series "Grey's Anatomy." Gibson appeared in the fourth episode of Season 16, titled "It's Raining Men."
In the episode, he plays the character of Josh, the boyfriend of a girl named Alicia who the crew must operate on after a man jumps out of a plane and falls on her from a high altitude. Josh doesn't get much of a happy ending, as the character not only has to deal with the trauma of being within the gory blast radius of the falling man, but also the death of his girlfriend, when the operators find that they can do nothing more for her. It doesn't seem like too far of a stretch to predict that Gibson's role in "One Piece" will be a bit more lighthearted than his role here.
Jacob Gibson engaged in some would-be thievery on The Resident
Jacob Gibson also made an appearance on another medical drama show that focuses on the lives of a bunch of medical practitioners, and that was "The Resident."
The actor featured in the sixth episode of the first season, titled "No Matter the Cost," in which he plays a teenage would-be thief named Atiba Jackson who attacks Dr. Mina Okafor in her own neighborhood, only to get knocked out himself by the surgeon. After taking him to the hospital for treatment, nurse practitioner Nicolette Nevin and Dr. Okafor then help the misguided youth reconcile with his parents, strengthening their own bond with each other in the process.
While Gibson's turn as would-be thief in this episode mirrors his upcoming role as Usopp in some ways, it's safe to say that his role as a pirate-outlaw will be portrayed in a far less moralistic — and far more comedic — light.
Jacob Gibson also starred on Greenleaf for a while
Though Jacob Gibson has made a handful of sporadic guest appearances across an array of TV shows, he did also play a recurring role for several seasons of the Oprah Winfrey Network mystery-drama "Greenleaf."
Centered upon the titular wealthy Greenleaf family, their church in Memphis, and the ridiculous amount of secrets that each of the family members keep from one another, "Greenleaf" ran for five seasons from 2016 to 2020. Gibson appeared throughout the final two seasons as the character of A.J. Delajae, a prickly yet kindhearted ex-convict.
Of course, as with any soap opera worth its salt, Delajae's secret backstory turned out to be quite the TV show twist. It turned out that the character was actually the long-lost son of main character Grace Greenleaf and her ex-boyfriend Noah. After eventually revealing the tragic story of how he was assaulted in prison to his parents, Delajae begins to finally mend his strained relationship with them and find happiness.