Posted in: FX, Hulu, TV | Tagged: Anna Sawai, Cosmo Jarvis, exclusive, Hiroyuki Sanada, interview, justin marks, Rachel Kondo, shogun

Shōgun: Anna Sawai on FX Limited Series' Attention to Detail & More

Anna Sawai (Pachinko) spoke with Bleeding Cool about FX Networks' epic limited series Shōgun, working with the show's creators, and more.

Shōgun creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, along with star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada, were exposed to the 1980 original NBC miniseries that starred Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune, but it's not something that was expected of star Anna Sawai (Ninja Assassin, F9: The Fast Saga), who plays Toda Mariko in the FX limited series. The series follows "the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai; John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga (Sanada), a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance." Sawai spoke to Bleeding Cool about her unique approach to Shōgun, how costuming helped get her into character, how nuanced Mariko is, and how meticulous production was.

How Anna Sawai Adjusted to the World of Feudal Japan in Shōgun

Bleeding Cool: When you're prepping for 'Shōgun,' did you read, James Clavell's novel, or did you also watch the miniseries as well?

Sawai: I read the novel, and I was about to watch the 80s series, but Justin [Marks], our showrunner, asked me not to because he didn't want me to be influenced by the original. He wanted me to give it my take. I only saw short clips after wrapping, but otherwise, I picked up books on Hosokawa Garasha and delved into the character of Mariko from the script.

Were there any other external inspirations that can help drive the performance aside from the script?

Everything that we were learning helped shape her because of the way she speaks, carries herself, walks…any gesture would be different from how I am now. Having conversations with Rachel, who carried Mariko for many more years, and hearing about how she sees her helps me get a more vivid idea of who Mariko is. Everything helped, especially the costumes and Carlos [Rosario] did such an amazing job by telling her story through them. When we first meet her, she's wearing something that's almost like snow. Then we started to see the little camellias come to bloom as she started to find her voice, wearing those kimonos also shaped her for me.

What kind of headspace do you find yourself in when a period piece like this, as opposed to something else more contemporary? It's something that you have to immerse yourself in like a more method approach?

It's different. Everything is different. Everything is so unique to this show that I don't even know where to begin. The character's story also is so heavy that I feel like I was a different person for the ten months that we were shooting this. In the beginning, I found myself kind of trying to find her a little bit more, whereas towards the latter half of episodes, it was harder to separate her from myself.

Did it feel intimidating the scale of the project, such as 'Shōgun' working with Justin and Rachel on this?

I don't know if I knew quite how big the production was going to be. Before going on set, we would talk about the scene a lot, and we would have rehearsals. When we did go on set, they were there, and that's a huge thing because many times, the showrunners and producers are busy, and they're not there. You might have questions that you want to ask, or you might want some guidance, but it's hard if they're not physically there, but they showed up. I'm thankful that they put everything into it. We had a lot of crew from Japan and so many translators, not one, but multiple translators. It was always a conversation between the consultants, supervisors, director, Justin, Rachel, Hiro[yuki Sanada], and Eriko [Miyagawa]. We were making sure that everything was right, and even if it was like something in the back that was blurred and something seemed off, it would be mentioned. They gave us the reins in a way to correct that. It was a set full of respect and trust.

Was there any sequence or Mariko scene that was difficult for you to get through filming on set?

All of the scenes were quite difficult, to be honest, because there's no easy, casual scene. This is not a casual watch; you must pay attention because something is going on in every scene. When I'm thinking about a specific scene now is shooting in the rain, and so there is actual rain pouring. You're in these kimonos, trying to walk in the mud, and you're trying to communicate. But it's not something. It's not a place where you shout. It's so hard to hear one another, and those scenes were tough to shoot, but sometimes it meant we shooting, but overall, it turned out quite amazing.

Shōgun, which also stars Hiroto Kanai, Takehiro Hira, and Moeka Hoshi, premieres its first two episodes on February 27th on FX and Hulu.

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