Netflix's One Piece: Who Plays Buggy D. Clown & What Does He Look Like Out Of Costume?
Possibly one of the creepiest characters in the entire "One Piece" canon, Buggy D. Clown has been haunting the Straw Hat crew since his first appearance in Chapter 9 of the original manga. Over 1,000 chapters and an anime adaptation later, the Star Clown is finally set to make his live-action debut in the Netflix "One Piece" series, and while he's still just as (if not more) uncomfortable to behold, the actor that portrays him is nothing of the sort.
Beneath all that carnival makeup is American actor Jeff Ward, who most recently teamed up with Netflix for the well-received limited series "Brand New Cherry Flavor." He was announced to have boarded the good ship "One Piece" in March 2022, though has stayed relatively quiet about his involvement despite being teased in terrifying fashion in the series' first trailer.
In any case, those who have clicked away to Google Ward's headshot were likely quick to note that he does not, in fact, look like a nightmarish clown. But some of you — especially those with an interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — are likely trying to figure out where exactly you've seen his face before.
Jeff Ward was once on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
From Season 5 through Season 7, Jeff Ward played Deke Shaw in the Marvel Cinematic Universe-adjacent television series "Agents of SHIELD." The future "One Piece" actor had originally been cast in another role — a one-off guest-starring character named Virgil, who is killed off before the end of his first episode. However, during an early table read, the production was apparently so impressed by Ward's performance that they offered him the role of Deke Shaw. Meanwhile, Virgil would be recast as Deniz Akdeniz.
Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 before the show's 7th and final season, Ward joined longtime series regular Chloe Bennet for an interview with Shacknews to discuss the impact "Agents of SHIELD" had on their lives. "For me, it's obviously a much shorter amount of time," he admitted, comparing his relatively brief three-season tenure to Bennet's. "But it's no less important and filled with love and admiration for all of these people ... and, honestly, because I walked in so late, the way everyone took me in was ... even more special."