Shōgun star Anna Sawai shared her experiences and perspectives alongside industry veterans Jodie Foster, Jennifer Aniston, Sofia Vergara, Nicole Kidman, Brie Larson, and Naomi Watts at a recent roundtable discussion hosted by The Hollywood Reporter. The conversation covered a wide range of topics, from the challenges of navigating Hollywood as a woman to the importance of mentorship and representation.
Sawai initially hesitated to take on the role in Shōgun, fearing it would perpetuate harmful stereotypes about Japanese women. “It wasn’t just Japanese women being sexualized,” she explained. “It was that they were defined by the relationship they had with the male character, or we didn’t really understand their story enough.”
Read more: ‘Shōgun’ Renewed For Two New Seasons By FX and Hulu
She expressed her concerns to the showrunner, who assured her the character would be more than just a stereotype. This open communication led to a successful audition and a portrayal of a Japanese woman Sawai believes will resonate with audiences.
“I’m lucky that we’re finally being able to give a portrayal of real Japanese women,” she said.
Sawai also opened up about her early career as a pop star in Japan, where she found a rigid and hierarchical industry. “There was a lot of pressure to conform,” she explained. “They would tell you exactly what to wear, how to sing, how to dance. It was all about fitting into a mold that they had created for you.”
This experience left Sawai feeling stifled and creatively unfulfilled. “I wasn’t really expressing myself,” she admitted. “I was just doing what I was told.”
It was only after moving to Hollywood that Sawai began to feel comfortable expressing her own opinions and desires. She credits her supportive team in the US for encouraging her to find her voice and advocate for herself. “They told me it was okay to say no, that it was important to speak up for what I believed in,” she said. “That was a turning point for me.”
On the topic of mentorship, Sawai expressed her admiration for the other actresses at the roundtable, seeing them as potential role models and guides. “I’ve not had enough experience to have a clear ‘mentor’ figure,” she admitted, “but I’ve learned so much from my co-stars and the people I work with. It’s little bits of advice here and there that have helped me along the way.”
Read more: Is ‘Shogun’ the Next ‘Game of Thrones’?
She also sought advice from Jodie Foster, asking how she navigated the male-dominated industry in her early career. Foster shared her experiences of being often the only woman on set and the importance of finding allies and support systems
