AND ACT!ON: Get to Know Japanese Actress Anna Sawai
For Japanese actress Anna Sawai, her breakout role in FX’s Shōgun is the greatest gift to herself and her community. Not knowing the series would gain massive success, Sawai was surprised to see the strong emotional reactions of viewers. During the series’ press tour, she saw firsthand the impact of playing such a gripping character like Mariko.
“We showed our first two episodes to a Japanese community. After the screening, multiple young girls came up to me and said, ‘This is the first time I’m seeing a real Japanese character that I can relate to,’ she tearfully revealed during Actors on Actors. With sudden success comes pressure, but Sawai expresses little worry — for her, this is just the beginning. “I don’t see myself as young and successful. I’m taking baby steps forward,” she said in an interview with ELLE. From pursuing music in Tokyo to making her mark in Hollywood, EnVi pieces Anna Sawai’s compelling career timeline together.
Early Beginnings
The early years of Sawai’s life were filled with world travel and music. Born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1992, Sawai’s family moved around often due to her father’s work. Growing up, she spent time living in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and settled in Japan when she was 10. Since Sawai was three, her mother, who worked as a piano teacher, taught her how to sing and play the piano, which equipped her with skills for her future.
At 11, Sawai made her acting debut, playing as the lead in a Tokyo stage production of Annie. Five years later, she starred in the martial arts film Ninja Assassin, marking her Hollywood debut. The film revolves around Raizo (Rain), an orphan under the Ozunu Clan, trained to be a ninja assassin and serve rich clients. Sawai stars as Kiriko, a kunoichi (female ninja) who disagrees with the unscrupulous practices of the Ozunu Clan. As the two trainees navigate the corrupt system, they develop romantic feelings for each other. When Kiriko plans to flee one night, she hopes that Raizo will join her, but he can’t bring himself to leave. Kiriko is later captured and killed, leading Raizo to question his allegiance to the Ozunu Clan.
Music Background
In 2012, Sawai was announced as part of the Avex Trax girl group, ARA (Avex Rising Angels). The group would go on to release one single before disbanding in 2013. A few months after the disbandment of ARA, Sawai re-debuted in Rhythm Zone girl group Faky as one of the lead vocalists. During her run in Faky, Sawai participated in various solo activities ranging from music video appearances to voice acting for a video game.
Sawai’s departure from Faky was announced in late 2018, as she had a strong desire to pursue acting full-time. When appearing on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Sawai revealed that she had to turn down an audition for the role of Katana in the 2016 superhero film Suicide Squad. Initially assuming she could balance her two desires, she approached her manager, who promptly rejected the idea. “I was like, ‘This is my chance!’ And then I go to my manager and he’s like, ‘You can’t audition.’ They told me that if I’m gone for over a month, the girls [the other FAKY members] will have nothing to do.” Despite the unexpected news, Sawai finished her contract on amicable terms and started a new chapter in her career.
Acting Revival
Sawai made her official return to acting in 2019 with the British crime drama series Giri/Haji, where she played the daughter of a Yakuza boss. The series, split across Japan and the UK, follows Kenzo Mori (Takehiro Hira), a Tokyo-based detective searching for his brother, Yuto (Yosuke Kubozuka), the prime suspect in a Yakuza murder case. The main catch: Yuto was previously presumed to be dead. Sawai plays Eiko, the daughter of a yakuza boss and romantic partner of Yuto.
In 2019, Anna landed the role of Elle Lue in the ninth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, F9: The Fast Saga. Dom (Vin Diesel), the film’s main protagonist, lives off the grid with his family when he receives news that his estranged brother Jakob Toretto (John Cena) plans to destroy the current world order. Elle Lue (Anna Sawai) plays an integral part as she is the key to activating Project Aries, a machine created by her late parents, that can hack into every computer weapons system in the world.
In an interview with Who What Wear, Sawai described various aspects of filming, from integrating into the “family” to finding confidence in her abilities. “I was nervous because stepping into something that is tight-knit is nerve-wracking. But they welcomed me with open arms and were so warm,” she explained.
Continuing, Sawai spoke of the energy she received from veteran actresses during their scenes together. “I had a fighting scene with Jordana [Brewster] and Michelle [Rodriquez], and they were so unapologetic. They taught me that you don’t have anything to worry about, just be confident in what you do, trust yourself, and you are here for a reason.” Shortly after being cast in F9, it was announced that Sawai had signed with talent agency WME.
Series On Streaming
Sawai secured her first main cast role with the Apple TV+ series Pachinko in 2022. The historical drama series is based on Min Jin Lee’s novel of the same name, which follows four generations of a Korean family. From the perspective of Kim Sunja (Kim Min-ha) living under the Japanese occupation in 1915 to Ivy League-educated Korean-American Solomon Baek (Jin Ha) in New York in 1989, Pachinko showcases the impact of intergenerational trauma. Sawai joins the narrative as Naomi, a Harvard graduate who works at the Tokyo branch of Solomon’s finance company. Initially expressing disdain towards Solomon due to his quick integration into the workplace hierarchy, Naomi realizes they are similarly marginalized. The pair maintains a complicated relationship as they carve their path in an unrelenting environment
In 2023, Sawai led the Apple TV+ series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, portraying Cate Randa, a schoolteacher who suffers from PTSD due to G-day — the resurgence of Godzilla in San Francisco. Following the aftermath of the attack, Cate searches for her father, Hiroshi Randa (Takehiro Hira) who has disappeared, abandoning her family once more. After traveling to Japan, she learns about the existence of her half-brother, Kentaro Randa (Ren Watabe). When they pair up to find answers, the Randa siblings discover that their father was involved in Monarch, a secret organization that monitors Titans or MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) —- the same species that attacked Cate’s city of residence a year prior.
Sawai has talked about pulling from personal experiences to help her tackle such a complex character. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter she provided insight, stating, “With [Cate’s] encounter with Godzilla and losing her students, I reflected on my memory from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. And with the relationship with her father, I have personal relationships familiar to what she has.” When Sawai can’t pull from personal experiences, she lets her imagination take over: “I’ve never experienced anything like a half-brother, so I just imagined how devastating it would be if my parents had another family. Would I want to be a part of that story, or would I want to run away from it?”
Shining in Shōgun
In 2021, it was announced that Sawai had been cast in the FX period drama Shōgun, playing as a lead alongside Hiroyuki Sanada and Cosmo Jarvis. The series is based on James Clavell’s 1975 best-selling novel, Shōgun, and tells the story of English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) who washed up in Japan and quickly became embroiled in Japanese politics. Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), is a bushō (military commander) at risk of impeachment due to his unprecedented rise in power. Lady Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) who is proficient in Portuguese, Latin, and Japanese translates the interactions between Toranaga and Blackthorne. As she grows closer to Blackthorne, she begins to question where her allegiance lies.
When appearing on THR’s Drama Actress Roundtable, Sawai talked about her reservations about taking on the role of Lady Mariko, initially thinking it would be a stereotypical portrayal. “[Japanese women] were defined by their relationship with the male character, they were always the sub-character,” she stated.
Sawai also revealed that her skepticism caused her to underperform in the first audition, “When I first read the sides, it was my character going into a bath with the white pilot. I was like ‘Ok this is going to be the same thing.’ So, I played [my audition] in that way and they didn’t call me back.” After having further discussions with the show’s co-creator Justin Marks, Sawai gained a newfound understanding of the narrative they were trying to illustrate. With a second try at her audition, she portrayed Mariko with new vigor and subsequently earned the role that would change her inside and out.
To bring Mariko to life accurately, Sawai perfected various skills, which included learning traditional Japanese, navigating different movements in a kimono, and replicating the calligraphy of Hoskawa Gracia — the historical figure Mariko is modeled after. Even when she wasn’t on set, Sawai worked hard to maintain her new skillset, resulting in some amusing interactions. “I practiced the [walking style] at home, the grocery store, and the park. And, there was a time when a girl walked up to me concerned, asking if I needed to use the bathroom,” she revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
From receiving praises from castmate Hiroyuki Sanada to receiving her first Emmy nomination, the immense effort Sawai put into portraying Mariko was recognized by entertainment professionals across the board. When discussing plans for the future, Sawai explained that she doesn’t want to compromise herself moving forward. “I know myself better now, and I know what makes my heart move,” she stated in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “From now on, I only want to do projects that move me.”
Are you interested in more ACT!ON content? Check out our review of Pachinko Season 2 here!
