One Piece brought in 160,000 pounds of sand to build Alabasta, says Charithra Chandran

Dubai: Building the desert kingdom of Alabasta took rather more than a location scout. Asked by a fan what she could reveal about the next season of One Piece, Charithra Chandran offered a number: 160,000 pounds of sand, roughly 72 tonnes, brought in for season three.

The British actress was speaking on the Main Stage at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi on Saturday, 12 September, during a group panel at Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) 2026. She appeared alongside John Cena, Pom Klementieff and Joonas Suotamo.

"One piece, this season three. 160,000 pounds of sand...now, I say Alabasta?"

Chandran plays Nefertari Vivi, introduced in season two under the alias Miss Wednesday. The coming season puts her character's homeland at the centre of the story.

A desert built from scratch

Season three is titled One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta. Netflix confirmed it had entered production in Cape Town, South Africa, after season two premiered on 10 March, and has since announced that filming has wrapped. It is slated for 2027.

The season follows the Straw Hats as they help Vivi save a homeland on the brink of civil war. Joe Manganiello plays Mr 0, Lera Abova plays Miss All Sunday and Sendhil Ramamurthy plays Vivi's father, King Nefertari Cobra.

A million things have to go right

Chandran described a set where the hours are long and the demands are constant, and where nobody is coasting.

"The hours are crazy and the filming is so demanding," she said. "Everyone is just so invested in making it as good as possible."

She put the scale of it plainly.

"For anything to appear on screen, there needs to be a million things that go right."

That collaborative point came up repeatedly across the panel. Suotamo, a former basketball player, drew on that background when asked about teamwork on set.

"I think teamwork is essential, and in movies it's collaborative," he said. "You have set designers, you have lighting, electricians, you have grips. It's so many people who are making each shot count and make them work."

Freedom, not instructions

One Piece has one of the most closely watched fanbases in the world, built over decades of manga and anime. Chandran said the team behind the live-action series encouraged her to look at the source material without handing her a set of rules.

"I felt a lot of freedom, because they were so supportive," she said.

"I wanted to create something new, but I also didn't have a concern about deviating from the character."

Cena, sitting beside her, had taken a different approach to the Peacemaker comics. "I asked if I should do that, and I was abruptly told no," he said.

Klementieff said the version of Mantis that James Gunn wrote for the Guardians of the Galaxy films gave her something fresh to play with, even with the weight of the comics behind it.

Hiding behind a wig, and then blue hair

Chandran's breakout came as Edwina Sharma, the diamond of the season, in Bridgerton season two. Being recognised for it has been an odd business.

"I think because season two came out towards the tail end of Covid, it was sort of like masking, and I could hide a little bit," she said.

The costumes did the rest.

"Because of the costume and the wigs, people can't really associate me without that very specific setting. So I often have a lot of people waving at me, because they sort of recognise me, but like as a friend."

Vivi's blue hair has had a similar effect. Walking around with co-star Iñaki Godoy, who plays Luffy, the difference is stark. He gets stopped. She often does not.

"I feel like Superman and Clark Kent," she said.

Suotamo reported the same thing from inside the Chewbacca suit. He is recognised more for being six foot 11 than for the role, and told the audience that when somebody does place him, he knows they are a true fan.

Klementieff, meanwhile, said she gets spotted more as Paris from the Mission: Impossible films than as Mantis. "Sometimes people hear my voice and they're like, oh, I've heard this voice somewhere."

Where Edwina ended up

A fan asked Chandran what she hopes happened to Edwina Sharma after Bridgerton season two ended.

"She finds love with someone who loves reading as much as she does," she said, adding that in her version, Edwina is writing plenty of letters home to her sister in England.

Her advice to the room

The panel closed with each guest offering advice to the fans in the audience. Chandran's came down to staying in the room.

"It's a long game. Basically, just don't give up," she said. "A lot of people will leave the game and quit."

She also told the audience to trust their instincts.

Suotamo's advice was more practical. "If you want something, you have to go and get it. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something," he said, pointing out that anyone with a phone can make a film now. What matters, in his view, is knowing the story you want to tell.

Cena's was shorter. Comparison, he said, is the thief of all joy.