To say Shōgun star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada is thrilled about the FX/Hulu series nabbing a leading 25 Emmy nominations is a massive understatement.
In many ways, Sanada told me in a recent Zoom conversation, he already feels like a big winner even though the envelopes for the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards won’t be opened until September 15.
After all, it’s not every day that an actor gets to see his vision through as a producer, too, on arguably one of the most elaborate television productions of 2024.
On top of that, Shōgun is told mostly in Sanada’s native language. Sanada admitted it was a risky move to go with dialogue that is mostly interpreted by subtitles, but he’s glad the production took it.
“The show is 70% Japanese with subtitles, so it was a gamble,” Sanada said. “But we believed in the audiences, their intelligence, imagination and curiosity about other cultures. I think they responded in great ways. So, yeah, I’m so happy. I’m so happy.”
Sanada said authenticity was the key factor in the creation of Shōgun, which marks the second time legendary author James Clavell’s 1975 classic novel has been adapted for television. The first adaptation, of course, came in 1980 with the NBC miniseries of the same name starring Richard Chamberlain, Toshiro Mifune and Yoko Shimada.
Created by Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, Shōgun is set in feudal Japan in 1600, as Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Sanada) fights to fend off his enemies on the Council of Regents. Everything changes, however, when a mysterious European ship piloted by John Blackmore (Cosmo Jarvis) washes ashore at a nearby fishing village.
Sanada’s version of Shōgun is decidedly different in that the production wasn’t Westernized like the 1980 version. In fact, the dialogue in Shōgun—which is available on FX and streaming on Hulu—is not just in the Japanese language, but classic Japanese language, which Sanada calls “Shakespeare Japanese.”
“We used Shakespeare Japanese in the show, and sometimes we had to change it a little to make it more understandable for young Japanese audiences,” Sanada explained. “It depended on the scenes and situation. But basically, we tried to use classic Japanese and I think it worked to make it authentic.”
Sanada Says Authenticity Was Key In All Aspects Of ‘Shogun’
The Television Academy is not only honoring the show’s performances with five acting nominations for Shōgun—including Hiroyuki Sanada for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series and Anna Sawai for Outstanding Actress—it also cited the show in key categories including Directing, Writing and Cinematography.
While Sanada is proud the show is being recognized in all of those categories, he also noted the nominations for Makeup, Prosthetic Makeup, Hairstyling, Costumes and Production Design went a long way in the show earning its Outstanding Drama Series nod.
“We needed to make everything authentic, visually,” Sanada said. “Movement, props, wig, costume, set design— everything had to be correct. That’s why authenticity was important.”
While Sanada loved bringing Toranaga to life in Shōgun, he’s just as proud of the contributions he was able to bring to the series as a producer.
And while Sanada no doubt made an impact in several films as an actor in Hollywood—in the five years alone he’s had roles in Avengers: Endgame, Army of the Dead, Bullet Train and John Wick 4—he’s glad that being a producer on Shōgun has given him the creative voice that he’s long desired.
“That’s why we hired the Japanese crew and a specialist for Samurai drama for each department [on Shōgun]. As a producer, I could do that,” Sanada enthused. “[I got] the best crew from all over Japan. Some of them I worked with for over 40 years … So, I had a team on set. It was a nice collaboration between the East and West, and we learned from each other.”
As such, Sanada describes Shōgun as a collaborative bridge between different parts of the world. As an actor who has been working in Japan since a young child in the 1960s, Sanada is forever grateful that he was given the opportunity to help building the bridge.
“That was one of my missions when I moved to Los Angeles 20 years ago. I still felt the wall between the East and West at that time,” Sanada recalled. “But after The Last Samurai, I felt we could break the wall in our generation [and with Shōgun] I hope to break the wall and help build the bridge to the next generation.
“That’s why I moved to LA and then jumped into Hollywood,” Sanada added. “Before that, I felt like a guest. So, I figured if I wanted to break the wall and make a bridge, then I needed to jump into the middle of the industry.”
It’s been a learning process, Sanada said, but with the learning he’s taken giant steps forward in achieving his ultimate dream.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of Japanese stories made by Hollywood but they had no supervisors about the culture so I had to consult every time,” he added. “Now, as a producer, it allows me to say something … That’s why I’m so happy to have a great opportunity like this with Shōgun, to try to introduce our culture to the world correctly.”
All 10 episodes of Shōgun are playing on FX and streaming on Hulu. The 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out on September 15.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity.
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