Before “Shōgun” became a massive hit for FX and Hulu, most moviegoers or television viewers likely recognized Hiroyuki Sanada. Outside of his impressive list of Japanese credits, the veteran actor has appeared in Hollywood films for over two decades starting in 2003 with “The Last Samurai.” Since then, he’s appeared in “47 Ronin,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Bullet Train,” and “John Wick: Chapter 4” (oh, and we can’t forget “Lost” either). The modern adaptation of James Clavell’s novel turned out to be something completely different, however. Originally formulated as a limited series, FX would only go forward with two additional seasons, not based on the book, if Sanada agreed to return. Spoiler: he did.
READ MORE: ‘Shōgun’ Review: FX’s lavish action Samurai period piece reshapes beloved original
Officially an Emmy nominee now in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category (and, in theory, also one in the Drama Series category as a producer), Sanada plays 16th-century Japanese feudal lord Yoshii Toranaga. Based on a real-life national hero, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toranaga attempts to calm the fires of war between numerous warlords while entertaining an English sailor, John Blackthorne (fellow Emmy-nominee Cosmo Jarvis), who he increasingly believes can be of some assistance to his cause. The novel and now “first season” have a somewhat natural ending, but Ieyasu’s story, and therefore Toranaga’s, has years of stories left to explore.
Speaking about his Emmy recognition with The Playlist last week, we asked Sanada for an update on future “Shōgun” seasons and when we might find it back on our television screens.
“I cannot say clearly anything, but yeah, we have a writer’s room now,” Sanada says. “They’re working hard every day. Also, we have real history, but we know what happened. So many times we [have told this] story in Japan. TV, movies, both. So we can choose the best one for this show and then of course respect the James Clavell novel, but we can also really create original entertainment, fictional drama by ourselves. We learned a lot from season one. As a producer, as an actor, I will be involved. And then I started staffing from Japan again. Start shooting means maybe next year showing to the world. That’s our hope now.”
Over the course of our conversation, Sanada discusses his significant contributions to the series as a producer, his favorite episode to shoot, how he has been a fan of Ieyasu since he was a teenager, and much, much more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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The Playlist: Congratulations on the Emmy nominations.
Hiroyuki Sanada: Oh, thank you so much. Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s amazing.
The show earned a massive amount of nominations including your noms as a producer in Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Where were you when you found out and what was your reaction?
I was in LA and then watching the live TV and then, yeah, I saw them all like a dream, is this real? And then of course as a producer, 25 nominations is amazing. More than [what] we expected during the shooting. Yes. So, happy for all of us and so proud of all the crew and cast.
From what I’ve read, you first got involved in this project way back in 2018, and correct me if I’m wrong, you even had to shoot a scene just to not lose the rights at one point. Did you ever think that maybe it might not happen?
When we stopped once, yeah. We had no idea. I have no idea. Can we go forward or not? Until Justin [Marks] and Rachel [Kondo] joined the project.
What did they bring to it that made you feel confident that it was going to go forward?
After they joined and then they asked me to produce as well. From the beginning, before they came in, I was just involved as an actor. So, after they asked me to produce, and then I started staffing from Japan for a specialist for each department. Some of them I worked with over 40 years or 30 years. So, I picked up the best person for each department, and then they hired around them. I had the confidence to go forward.
What made you though think was a project that could be a hit in 2020 or 2024?
Until we released the first two episodes, I had no idea. Dialogue [was] 70% Japanese and with English subtitles. So, we didn’t know how the viewers would react to this show. It was a kind of gamble. Justin and I talked a lot about that, but we believed that the audience, their imagination or intelligence or curiosity for the other culture [would watch]. So, until we released the first two, yeah, it was a gamble still.
It turned out to be one of the biggest hits in FX history. Certainly one of the biggest hits in Hulu’s history. Were you stunned by how many people were obsessed and watching the show, or was it just sort of what you dreamed?
The FX people told me that. And yeah, it was a great surprise. It was more than we expected, so Wow. Wow. Just like that.
So what about playing Lord Toranaga? What about his character excited you?
You know what, I read his novel in Japanese when I was 15 or 16. And he became my hero because he stopped the war period and created a peaceful era for about 260 years. That is why he became a hero in Japan. And then when I received the offer for Toranaga, I [wondered] how was he going to [be depicted in this] drama. I felt, especially now, that so many problems in the world and war is still happening, so we need that kind of hero. I thought that’s a meaning of telling his story to the world. That was the beginning of my thoughts. And also it’s going to be a good opportunity to introduce our culture to the world. So “O.K., let’s do it.” And then if I do, I need to request FX to hire Japanese actors for the Japanese roles. And then we need the Japanese crew, especially for some drama. That was my condition and they accepted. So it’s a great opportunity to show our story correctly to the world. So I was so excited and I received the offer.
So Toranaga was your hero growing up and he’s a hero to many, but he’s also a very complex character. You could argue at times he’s not very sympathetic in many ways. Towards the end of the series, he still insists that Masanobu [Tadanobu Asano] kill himself for what he did, even though others think that let he deserves some forgiveness. Would you think that’s an inherent part of his character?
He’s a great samurai and strategist, but also a family man and very interesting human. Not only cold as a strategist, [but] I wanted to show the audience a different face of him, just in front of his family or in front of Mariko [Anna Sawai] in one-on-one scenes. Sometimes his honest emotions come out and not only his poker face. So, I wanted to show to the audience both sides of his character. It was interesting. The balance was difficult, but it was an interesting moment as an actor.
Was there one episode or one scene that you were most excited to play before production began?
Oh yeah, that was episode eight. Hiromatsu, played by my old friend. That’s kind of a very important scene for the show and also for Toranaga. And I know the actor, Tokuma-san, Tokuma Nishioka, who played Hiromatsu, a long time. Over 30 years working together. So, yeah, when he joined ‘Shōgun’ in Vancouver, first what he said, “I took this role just for that scene.” That was his first words. So, even before we started shooting for episode one, we talked about that scene. So, on the day of shooting, I said to him, “Time has come.” He said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” So, we really enjoyed all day for that scene. It was a big scene for me.
That’s awesome.
Hardest but most interesting scene. One of the most interesting scenes for me.
As a producer, was there one nomination, one of your fellow nominees from Shōgun that you were most happy about, got nominated? Was there anyone who you were maybe worried wouldn’t get recognized and did?
They’re hard to choose one. All the cast, I work with them every day on set, and hopefully as much as possible they’ll get. And all the crew, including the Japanese crew. Eleven Japanese nominations, it’s a new record for us. So, I want them to get as much as possible. And we also got a nomination for stunt performance, some of them I worked with [on] a few movies together, always helping my projects. So, I’d like them or him to win [that category].
It’s been announced that there will, in theory, be two more seasons of the show and you were integral to that happening. Is there a story breakdown for the next season? Has that even been determined? And how soon do you think it will be before we see “Shōgun” back on our TV screens?
I cannot say clearly anything, but yeah, we have a writer’s room now. They’re working hard every day. Also, we have real history, but we know what happened. So many times we [have told this] story in Japan. TV, movies, both. So we can choose the best one for this show and then of course respect the James Clavell novel, but we can also really create original entertainment, fictional drama by ourselves. We learned a lot from season one. As a producer, as an actor, I will be involved. And then I started staffing from Japan again. Start shooting means maybe next year showing to the world. That’s our hope now.
Well, fingers crossed, and wish you all the best at the Emmys. I think you guys are going to win a lot and I hope you have a great time.
Thank you so much. Nomination is happy enough. So I want to enjoy the reunion [with the cast and crew].
“Shōgun” is available on FX and Hulu