Comic Con Africa 2023 is just a few days away and we’re continuing our dive into the local and international celebrities and talents that you can expect to see, meet and greet at this year’s event. We’ve already covered Ash Ketchum voice actress Veronica Taylor, C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels and Captain Jack Harness actor John Barrowman. However, this feature will focus on local talent as we take a look at the man behind Mihawk in the live-action One Piece: Steven John Ward.
Steven John Ward was born on 2 June 1990 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He attended AFDA where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Live Performance. In 2010, Ward competed in the Amstel Class Act competition, placing 7th in South Africa. He went on to receive other training from various local and international coaches and classes over the years.
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As far as we can tell, Ward obtained roles in several movies and theatre productions including The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Barefoot in the Park and the SAFTA-award winning movie, House on Willow Street. However, he began getting recognition through the popular M-Net series, Inconceivable.
As luck would have it, Ward would be cast for the role of Dracule Mihawk in Netflix’s big-budget live-action One Piece series – a role that, as many have already pointed out, he simply embodied. Mihawk is one of the most prominent figures in the One Piece universe. One of the seven Warlords of the Sea, Mihawk is a powerful swordsman who can very easily cleave a ship in half across the ocean. To this day, Mihawk largely remains a mystery in the long-running manga series and Ward managed to accurately capture the mystique and jaw-dropping skills of the character.
The live-action One Piece series was also mainly shot in Cape Town, South Africa, which was the perfect place and time for Ward to tackle the role. With the renewal of One Piece for a second season, Ward is likely to reprise his role as Mihawk in later seasons of the show.
Steven John Ward will be at Comic Con Africa 2023 for one day only, on Saturday, 23 September. Comic Con Africa will run from 22-25 September. Make sure you secure your tickets on Howler.
