Critics Choice Awards 2025: Hiroyuki Sanada Wins Best Actor in a Drama Series for Shōgun, Marks Award Season Hat Trick

Hiroyuki Sanada won Best Actor in a Drama Series at Critics Choice Awards 2025 for Shōgun, securing his third major award of the season after Golden Globes and Primetime Emmys.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Feb 08, 2025 | 09:09 AM IST | 7.3K

Horoyuki Sanada at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards (Getty Images)

Thanks to his impressive stint as Yoshii Toranaga in FX's Shōgun, Hiroyuki Sanada took home the 2025 Best Actor in a Drama Series Critics Choice Award on Friday, February 7. The actor bested formidable competition from The Old Man’s Jeff Bridges, Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa, The Day of the Jackal’s Eddie Redmayne, The Diplomat’s Rufus Sewell, and The Boys’ Antony Starr to win the honor at the 30th Critics Choice Awards, that took place at the Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Airport, California.

Sanada took the stage visibly shocked. “Oh my gosh!” he exclaimed before thanking FX, Disney, and Hulu—the networks behind the historical drama series created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks. He shared that while filming Shōgun, he never imagined such a grand recognition awaited him. Expressing gratitude to his co-stars and the crew, he also gave a rightful shoutout to the LA firefighters who helped mitigate last month’s devastating wildfires that scorched thousands of acres, leaving many homeless and helpless in the city. “You guys are my heroes,” said Sanada.

Friday’s win marked a hat trick for Sanada, who also won Best Actor in a Drama Series at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in January and the Primetime Emmys in September 2024.

Sanada’s award-season dominance is a significant moment, as he is among the few top Japanese actors to successfully cross over into Hollywood.

Beyond Shōgun, he is known for his standout performance in The Last Samurai, where he shared the screen with Tom Cruise. He also starred alongside Keanu Reeves in 47 Ronin and Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine.

Chelsea Handler hosted the 30th Critics Choice Awards for the third year in a row, with Kristen Bell, Michelle Yeoh, and Kathryn Hahn among the presenters.