Her face lights up.
But as the rising actress reunites with herShogunco-stars, a new charge of electricity crackles in the air.
(Well, Los Angeles.)
Anna SawaiJessica Chou
But Marks and Kondo had a different approach in mind.
It even beatThe BearSeason 2 andThe Kardashiansin domestic and international viewership, respectively, to score a No.
1 global debut; insert smiling Fuji (Moeka Hoshi) gif here.
It was a great reaction.
More than we expected when we made it, he says happily.
I could never have imagined this kind of thing happening.
(Not to mention a forbidden romance, but more on that later.)
It was propulsive and highly consumable.
But we both came to it a little bit cocky.
I thought, obviously Im of Japanese heritage.
Between the two of us, Im the one to speak to this subject matter.
But we came to find out very quickly that couldnt be more untrue.
Their pitch to FX executives was straightforward, embracing Clavells story with one vital exception.
It was a production of daunting scale, exacerbated by unexpected Covid filming delays and slowdowns.
No, we didnt know how to do any of this.
And it was, lets say, controlled chaos for a very long time.
According to Kondo, the resulting language felt too modern to their Japanese producer Eriko Miyagawa and Sanada.
In our version she said, If I were just Christian, it would.
But Im more than one thing.
But I have more than one heart, says Kondo.
And thats what we ended up going with.
It speaks to how this production was a collaboration at such an exquisite level.
Everybody threw in everything they had, and somehow this alchemy happened.
They applied that early lightbulb moment elsewhere, encouraging adjustments with input from their experts and craftspeople across departments.
I believe that the process is the author of a show.
And the nice thing about TV is that the writer gets to author that process.
He even found wisdom in the very story they were telling.
Approaching it with sensitivity and respect had to be baked into the DNA of their take onShogun.
And they already had an untapped resource at the ready.
Hes a great leader and strategist.
He has power, but hes also a family man.
He has weakness and loneliness.
I wanted to make this role a more human samurai, not a Shogun shogun.
As an actor I felt limited in saying something to correct our culture.
I didnt want to break somebodys pride, he says.
I spent 20 years like that.
The 10-month shoot, production designed by Helen Jarvis, took over two sprawling backlots and two soundstages.
Cut to very early in the production, says Marks.
You have that to stand on the shoulders of, if you listen.
So, its not just about authenticity; it also saved us money in the end.
Because we dont know what we dont know when we go into things, especially in other cultures.
Were all on that Blackthornian journey, just feeling our way through the dark.
Fundamentally, I dont think theres any such thing as someone whos not complicated, says Asano.
Its the choices you make to hide it; do you outwardly show it?
In this case, Yabushige is someone who is really expressive about their complexities.
Now 50, he was 19 when he and Sanada made the first of their five films together.
If Toranaga wasnt Hiro Sanada, Yabushige would not have turned out the way he is, says Asano.
Even Yabushiges sweet reliance on Toranaga, in some ways, would not have shown up onscreen.
And Asano, of course, has a thoroughly contemporary analogue to explain the quirk.
In the environment that Yabushige is in, theres none of that, yet he has this constant curiosity.
You have to do what your lord tells you.
But Yabushiges like, whatever.
I think in a way, death was the ultimate curiosity for Yabushige.
Its the ultimate time-killer.
And if he existed today, he grins, hed be an influencer.
The death, late in the season, had fans gasping.
I remember that day clearly, says Sanada.
Toranaga is almost crying inside.
He knows hes sacrificing to make a better world.
Off-camera when they shot Hiromatsus side, I cried a lot.
When the camera came to my close-up, luckily, my tears were already dried.
I had no scenes as an actor in Episode 9, he says.
Its Marikos show time.
We didnt have a show until we cast her, Marks elaborates.
And until that point, I didnt know if this was going to get to the starting line.
After seeing the Japanese music industry machine from the inside, she opted out to chase her acting dreams.
Small roles in the Netflix seriesGiri/Hajiand the 2021 action blockbusterF9followed.
Then Sawai reconsidered the types of roles she really wanted to be playing.
The shift started with conversations like, What do you want to do?
says Sawai before a trip home to Tokyo.
Thats how we foundPachinko.
And then that led toShogun.
When she met with Marks and Kondo and posed the big question to the duo WhyShogun?
Sawai had some specifically acultural qualities that we found really unique and unexpected, says Marks.
She was moved to see a prominent line in the series taken from Hosokawas famous death poem.
Flowers are only flowers because they fall, she shares.
Her career-making turn as the series quietly incendiary heroine earned instant acclaim.
As television roles go, its one of the trickiest in recent memory.
Oh my gosh, it was so hard!
As an actor youre supposed to express, but the character, culturally, has to repress.
I didnt know how to balance those two out because theyre so opposite.
All I can remember is that I was boiling inside shooting those scenes, I felt so stuck.
It felt like the right energy to combine into something unexpected.
Cosmo has great instincts, says Asano.
(Or, as Marks calls it: The total eclipse of the Mariko.)
Thats what Kiku is able to give them in that moment.
Directed by Frederick E.O.
Shes a performer of the highest capability, says Kondo.
Her level of focus is off the charts.
You talk to her when we were filming Episode 9 and shes not really there.
This is somebody who was performing on a level that not many can.
Asano is also eager to see what new doorsShoguns success opens.
Both praise their producer/co-star for paving the way.
Ill let you know when I do, he jokes.
The glowing first reviews were a promising start, but Ive seen it go both ways, he says.
The writer ofStreet Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Lihas seen all sides of these things.
For Kondo, that revelation happened on a random Tuesday afternoon.
He looked up and said, Shogun.
He proceeded to say more words to me than he had ever said.
And I could see how deeply he was enjoying it and how closely he was watching it.
(Debate has raged over whether or not the former limited series should continue into additional seasons.)
We know what happened, so who knows?
Only the god of shows knows, he teases.
Its so hard to do what James Clavell did.
We drafted [behind him], like when you drive behind a big truck.
And Im not sure where that idea is yet.
It was a flip phone, she says with a smile, because thats Cosmo.
The scene felt lived-in and made a boring scene actually exciting, says Marks.
That was a Friday.
And on a Sunday, I woke up with Rachel, still thinking about Cosmo.
On impulse, he sent the tape to one of the shows executives.
And that began the conversation.
(It remains to be seen if his journey will continue in future seasons.)
He just doesnt have it.
Hes trying to carry cables for everyone.
Youre like, just put that down, Cosmo.
