Meet Anna Sawai: The "Shōgun" Star Making Emmy History
Anna Sawai has made history by becoming the first Japanese actress to win an Emmy for her powerful performance in "Shōgun." Here are some facts about the breakout star.
Yesterday, Anna Sawai won an Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Shōgun, becoming the first Japanese actress – and the first Asian performer – to achieve this milestone. We're not at all surprised; even The Washington Post has previously declared Sawai an “actor of uncommon subtlety” and “a performer with so many talents, capable of communicating and emoting in both Japanese and English.”
Sawai was full of tears as she grabbed her trophy. "I was crying before my name was announced; I'm a mess today," she admitted.
Sawai’s Start
Anna Sawai's breakthrough moment is just the latest chapter in her impressive journey. She was born in New Zealand and later moved to Japan as a child. Beyond her impressive acting skills, Sawai is also a talented singer and a member of the J-Pop group FAKY.
And if you're wondering why they chose that name for their group, Sawai explained why in a recent interview with W Magazine. “They were labeling us as the ‘real girls,’ like we were gonna be very, very authentic,” she said. “So they thought the name showed self-awareness – like, we’ll call this fake, because we’re so real.”
Although Sawai cherished her time with the all-female group, she felt "trapped" and decided to leave to follow her true passion for acting. After stepping away from the band, she secured a role in F9 and is now receiving praise for her role in Shōgun.
The actress is a hard worker! Sawai has been in the entertainment industry for most of her life. When she was only 11 years old, she made her acting debut in a Tokyo stage production of Annie, beating 9,000 other children who auditioned for the role. By 2006, she had secured a management contract with Avex Inc., where she honed her skills in their music and dance boot camp, leading her to eventually join FAKY.
Sawai’s journey through the entertainment industry shows that she's incredibly resilient, which is evident in her role as Mariko in Shōgun. Her performance brings a character shaped by a difficult past and societal challenges to life. Reflecting on her portrayal and her own path, Sawai tells W Magazine, “You see that society has made her the way she is, and you can’t blame her for what she has been through.”
She's learning to find grace for herself in the same way Mariko has in the show. “It’s still a slow process," Sawai adds, "but maybe everything I’ve done so far means I can now listen to my own instincts.”
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