Emmy-nominated actor Hiroyuki Sanada wants to flex his acting muscles. Not only is he hungry for more dramatic roles, but Sanada would love to be considered for a romantic comedy — or even a musical.
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The veteran actor just recently received one of Hollywood’s top accolades, an Emmy nomination for his work in FX’s “Shōgun” Most awards pundits have him tipped to take home the outstanding lead actor in a drama series next month. And while Sanada can’t quite believe the series landed 25 nominations, he’s riding the wave, and humbled by it all. Listen to him on the latest episode of Variety ‘s Awards Circuit Podcast below!
There is a motto Sanada lives by, and that’s “never rush.” The lesson comes from the warrior Tokugama Ieyasu, who inspired Sanada’s character (Lord Yoshii Toranaga) in the FX series “Shogun.”
Sanada explains how he applied that philosophy to life when he joined senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay for the Variety awards circuit podcast. He says he didn’t rush to become a good actor in his 20s or 30s. His goal was to wait until he was in his 40s or 50s.
“He became my hero because he stopped the war period and created a peaceful era for about 260 years,” Sanada says of the real-life warrior.
“Shogun” is based on James Clavell’s novel of the same name and is a retelling of the Emmy-winning 1980s NBC miniseries. Set in 1600 feudal Japan, “Shogun” features Anna Sawai as Lady Mariko, who is placed in charge of translating for Lord Toranaga (Sanada) and Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), an English ship captain who enters a society as it prepares for war.
Sanada wasn’t just flexing his acting muscles in the 10-part series, he was brought on as a producer. For years, he worked to portray Japanese culture with as much authenticity as possible. “But I felt the limit to say something just as an actor,” Sanada admits.
The producer title made a huge difference this time around, he adds.
“This story is fictional entertainment, based on a true story and inspired by history,” he says. “To make the story and character believable, we needed to make authentic details.”
This meant having a say in how costumes, wigs and the sets had to be authentic to the world of 1600 feudal Japan. The value of wearing the producer’s hat meant ensuring even the language spoken was pinned to the era and not modern Japanese.
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Sanada was in Berlin working on “John Wick: Chapter 4” when he talked with the show’s costume designer Carlos Rosario. When he had wrapped for the day, he’d collaborate over Zoom swapping notes and ensuring the minute details from fabric to prints and even the thickness of a uchikake belt were accurate to the era.
It didn’t end there. The show’s creators and writers, Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, relied on Sanada to help with staffing and ensure accuracy. “I hired Japanese authentic samurai drama specialists for each department, and that was nice,” Sanada says.
Sanada also discusses the season finale that ends with his ascension to the Shogunate, rather than showing the decisive historical Battle of Sekigahara. “That’s the best ending for our show,” Sanada says when asked what conversations were had about the ambiguous ending. “We’re going to show that, not the violence, not the fighting scene, not a lot of nudity. We didn’t try to make a big battle scene at the end,” he says. “Checkmate.”
In this episode, he also talks about the most emotional scene to shoot which wasn’t the finale, but a sequence in episode 8.
And what about Season 2? It’s in the works. Sanada reveals the writers are back and he has yet to see a first draft. Clavell’s novel was something they learned from, and Sanada is looking forward to the original scripts filled with endless possibilities for Season 2. “We don’t have the novel,” he says. “Freedom is there…I hope our writers will enjoy the freedom and respect the novel of course.”
What about Blackthorne and Cosmo Jarvis? He reveals cryptically that half the existing cast will be back, and “the other half will be new characters coming in.”
As for the future, Sanada hopes to expand his already extensive body of work. “Comedy. A rom-com. A musical,’ he laughs.
Also, on the Roundtable, we go through the limited and anthology series acting categories, and discover it’s more competitive than you might think.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.
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