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76th Primetime Emmy Awards: Anna Sawai Makes History As She Becomes First Japanese Star To Win Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series For Shogun
At the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, Anna Sawai became the first Japanese actress to win the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category.
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Anna Sawai became the first Japanese actress to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
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In her acceptance speech, Sawai thanked the FX team and co-creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo
Anna Sawai made history at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the first actress of Japanese descent to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Sawai reached this milestone for her role as Toda Mariko in FX's Shōgun. This is a significant achievement not only for Sawai but also for Asian representation on mainstream television.
During her acceptance speech, Sawai thanked John Landgraf and the entire FX team: “Thank you to John Landgraf and the whole FX team for believing in our story. Thank you to [co-creators] Justin [Marks] and Rachel [Kondo] for believing in me and giving me this role of a lifetime. Thank you to everyone of the crew and cast, led by Hiro (Hiroyuki Sanada). He really has opened doors and continues to open doors for people like me.”
Anna Sawai also thanked her co-star Cosmo Jarvis for being the most truthful non-BS actor she has ever met and her mother for showing her stoicism. Sawai dedicated her win to all the women who expected nothing and continued to be an example for everyone.
Sawai's win continues a recent trend of Asian representation at the Emmys. Ali Wong made history earlier this year as the first woman of Asian descent to win an Emmy for a lead role in the Limited Series category for Beef. In 1981, Yôko Shimada was nominated for the Lead Actress category for her role as Toda Mariko in the previous adaptation of Shōgun, classified as a Limited Series.
Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks' Emmy-winning series Shōgun, based on James Clavell's 1975 bestseller, has been a huge success. The show won Best Drama Series and Lead Actor for Hiroyuki Sanada, giving it a record-breaking 18 Emmys in a single season.
The show also set a Creative Arts Emmy record with 14 wins. The series, set in 17th-century Japan, stars Sawai as Mariko-sama, a Christian noblewoman who becomes an indispensable ally to Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and outwits powerful lords while showing impressive combat skills.
Sawai's portrayal of Mariko-sama required extensive preparation, which included researching Hosokawa Gracia, the real-life Japanese noblewoman who inspired Clavell's character. Sawai, known for her roles in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Pachinko, revealed that she was looking for roles that spoke to her beyond race and traditional expectations.
Her search led her to Pachinko and then to Shōgun. Justin Marks described Sawai as a unicorn actress and stated that the show was dependent on her casting. Hiroyuki Sanada, who also produces the show, agreed, saying, “Anna was the only one on Earth who could play this role.”
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