Anna Sawai also talks about a funny moment when her co-star’s foot fell asleep during a scene.
Based on the bestselling novel written by James Clavell, the 10-episode limited FX series Shōgun is an epic tale set in Japan in 1600, as a European ship piloted by the mysterious John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) is marooned in a fishing village at a time when Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) is fighting his enemies on the high-ranking governing body known as the Council of Regents. Connecting the two men is translator Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), a devoted Christian who is trying to overcome societal barriers, a disgraced family lineage and an abusive marriage to find her own purpose. The more time Blackthorne and Mariko spend together, an unexpected connection forms, but choosing feelings over duty can be dangerous when so much is at stake.
During this interview with Collider, Sawai talked about the extensive preparation she went through with everything she had to learn to tell this story authentically, how the lengthy shoot helped her become comfortable with the new skills, why one specific serious moment turned hilarious, what helped her connect to the character, finding Mariko’s clarity and purpose, why Mariko is able to be herself with Blackthorne, not seeing her character as a hero, and what the biggest threat is for Mariko.
Properly Wearing a Kimono in ‘Shōgun’ Required Very Specific Details
Collider: Where did you even begin with this character, trying to understand the culture of Japan in the 1600s?
ANNA SAWAI: Once I knew that I was gonna play her, I had to learn everything. We don’t wear kimonos now. People will ask me, “Is it like that in Japan today?” And I’m like, “No, it’s pretty different,” but it is the roots. So, I had to learn about wearing a kimono. It’s so tight. You have seven layers of clothing on, so it restricts you from walking. When you sit down and stand up, all of that is different. I’m sure that if you don’t speak Japanese, it’s hard to understand, but we’re speaking in period speech that’s almost Shakespearean, so I had to learn how to do that. And then, the English accent was also different from how I speak. Getting used to all that, and translating, and riding a horse, I had to learn everything.
Was there a moment when you felt really secure in all of it and that you knew who she was, or was it an ongoing process?
SAWAI: It was ongoing. At one point, because we were shooting for 10 months, I didn’t really have to think about much. But in the beginning, I had my Japanese teacher with me, and she’d be like, “Okay, when you sit down, you should sit down like this. When you look back, you have to put the kimono like this.” It was all calculated in the beginning, but at some point, it feels natural. You don’t have to ask questions anymore. When you’re walking into the room, you’re not allowed to step on the lines that they have, but you can’t look down. It was very meticulously done.
Anna Sawai Remembers an Unintentionally Funny ‘Shōgun’ Moment
Because it must be hard to keep up that level of perfection, were there ever times that things went wrong, and you had to stop and just have a laugh about it?
SAWAI: It’s really hard. I’m thinking about a scene where we were all sitting down, and because we didn’t have chairs, you have to fold your legs. It was a serious scene between Blackthorne and Yabushige, and at the end, Blackthorne stands up and leaves the room, and [Cosmo Jarvis’] foot apparently fell asleep. So, he stopped for a bit because he couldn’t walk, and I had to stare at him with a serious face. That was hilarious to see, and it made me think, “What were people doing, back in the day?” He made it work, but that would happen.
One of the things that was so interesting to me was the concept of wanting permission to take your own life. What was it like to even grasp that mentality?
SAWAI: You just have to know that is what was happening back in the day. Nothing like that would happen now. But also, the reason why she wants to take her own life is because her dad was disgraced, and he and her whole family had to die. After that, you don’t wanna be there alone. Of course, you would wanna die with them. And to not have that permission because you are now married to someone who is telling you to live is insane. When we first meet Mariko, she’s a little bit aimless. And then, when she’s told that she needs to become an interpreter, and then slowly she starts to understand that this is what her father wanted for her and this was his plan, the fire starts to burn, and she then has clarity and purpose, just believing in that. And it wasn’t hard to believe because Mariko is based on Hosokawa Gracia, who lived in 1600 and took her own life, and a lot of hostages were freed because of her.
I love the moments when Mariko really thinks about how she wants to translate certain things. There is quite a bit of humor in how she chooses to relay conversations.
SAWAI: That was partially fictionalized because it’s based on the novel, and the novel is inspired by certain figures. When I read her whole story and understood what she was going to do at the end, everything just became clear to me, like her purpose. Once you know what you want to do, you’re just going straight for that. She does get lost in between, but as an actor, I knew where she was going. The journey and living with the character for 10 whole months, I couldn’t really separate myself from her, at one point, which made me feel a little bit darker than usual. It was just so well-written that it wasn’t hard for me to channel. Justin [Marks] was always there, and Rachel [Kondo] showed up all the time. Hiro [Sanada] is also an actor on Shōgun, but even on days that he wasn’t on camera, he would show up. I would have conversations with them, all the time. Especially for Mariko, Rachel had been living with the character for so much longer, so just hearing her version of Mariko and her stories, who inspired her, and why she wanted to do this project, all felt so personal. When you talk to them, it’s not just a showrunner talking to an actor. It’s person to person, and you feel so intimate in that conversation. It probably was hard during that time, but once you had those conversations, it was just like, “Okay, I get it. I know who she is.”
‘Shōgun’s Mariko and Blackthorne Form an Unexpected But Natural Bond
What did you enjoy about the dynamic between Mariko and Blackthorne? It’s such a foreign entity for her.
SAWAI: It is a foreign entity. With what he has to say, I think she’s very skeptical of who he is, in the beginning. At the same time, becauseshe doesn’t really care about him, and he doesn’t know the rules of Japan, she doesn’t have to be anyone but herself. Whereas with Japanese men, she had to act a certain way. I think not really caring about what he thought allowed her to be herself. He’s accepting of that, and that’s how they start to connect. It’s very interesting to see how that blossoms because she’s married, but then he dies, and then he comes back. It’s all very complicated. But I think the connection that they have is very natural. It just happens out of the blue. Neither of them wanted it, at first, but it happens.
Do you see Mariko as a hero?
SAWAI: I don’t see her as a hero because I don’t think she thinks that she’s a hero, even though what she does impacts the people greatly. I believe that she thinks this is her purpose, and that everyone has their own purpose and their own agenda, but they all have their destiny in their own hands. So, I don’t think she’s a hero.
Who do you see as her biggest villain, or the biggest threat to her existence?
SAWAI: Oh, my God, that’s such a good question. I feel like I’ll have a different answer if you ask me tomorrow or the next day. I think the biggest villain is the death of her father. That changes everything. So, it’s not a who, but a what? But if you ask me tomorrow, I might say Ishido. The death of her father impacts her in great ways and it shapes her. It’s the reason why she becomes who she is and the reason why she does what she does in the end. That’s her villain and that’s her purpose, at the same time.
