Anna Sawai Loves Being a Homebody

Anna Sawai plays a noblewoman and translator at the center of political conflict in the critically acclaimed FX period miniseries ‘Shōgun,’ which airs its finale on April 23.

By the time she finished filming Shōgun, Anna Sawai could feel herself merging with her character, Toda Mariko. “Mentally, it was a lot,” she tells the Cut. “Towards the end, I just remember being like, I can’t wait to leave her.” The New Zealand–born Japanese actress plays a noblewoman and translator at the center of political conflict in the critically acclaimed FX period miniseries, which airs its finale on April 23. Diving into the physicality of Mariko in feudal Japan had its challenges, down to the constricting kimonos, but Sawai says she emerged on the other side changed, “and in the most positive way.”

Shōgun is certainly making waves, but it’s not the only series Sawai is proud to promote. She’ll soon appear in the long-awaited second season of Apple TV+’s Pachinko, the decades-spanning family drama that first aired over two years ago. “You’ll be able to see a little bit more about Naomi, we see her outside of the office,” Sawai teases about the mysterious character’s future in the series.

Between Pachinko, Shōgun, and the Godzilla action series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the actress has been spending a lot of time in Vancouver for filming. “I was really just like living there for the longest time,” she says. She recommends walks along the seawall and through Stanley Park if you find yourself in the coastal Canadian city, and spoke highly of Kissa Tanto, an Italian-Japanese fusion Michelin-starred restaurant at the heart of Chinatown. Below, the actress shares her career strategies against getting typecast, who she’s been gossiping with lately, and the puzzle that helped calm her mind before stepping into Mariko’s shoes.

Everything is very precise in Shōgun — from the way Mariko sits and bows to the costumes and sets. What was it like being fully immersed in that world? 

I didn’t know that learning so much and having to change almost everything about myself in order to portray someone from 1600 would be this helpful … Being able to kind of dive into her physicality in the beginning, just learning how she carries herself in the kimono — I think it changed my attitude. It’s almost like when you wear something completely different, you feel you need to start speaking differently or act a certain way. You know, if you’re wearing a tuxedo, you can’t just lie down and pretend you’re in pajamas. All of these physical elements helped me bring her to life.

You were a member of the girl group Faky for a number of years. How do you think being part of a musical group helped prepare you for your acting career?

I don’t know if it prepared me for acting, but it definitely is helpful. I was dancing ballet since I was 5, so learning choreography is something that I’m really used to doing. I’ll catch it very quickly and I’ll forget it even quicker. For the last big action sequence on Shōgun, I remember just doing two rehearsals and then on the day I was totally fine. So in that sense it helped the action side of acting, but it’s so different when you’re performing in a band than when you’re on set and getting into the emotion of a character and embodying them.

Since action scenes come easier to you, do you think you’ll want to take on more of those kinds of roles? Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was quite action-heavy too.

Monarch was different because I was running away … you can’t really fight the monsters, you know? That was just like, trying to hang on for dear life and escaping. But I’ve been very cautious about taking on roles that require a lot of action. Until a couple of years ago, Asian actors were typecasted as action stars. And I didn’t want to be pigeonholed into doing those kind of roles only. So if I am able to find a role that has a very good background and storyline, and action is part of what makes her her, then yes, I would love to take on those roles. I don’t see myself doing it without that depth of character.

Now moving into our Taste Test: Where do you get your best culture recommendations from? 

I think nowadays, it’s all on social media. But for music, Spotify knows what my interest is, so I just click those playlists. If there’s a song that I love, then I’ll go to the song radio and then see which songs are on that list. There’s the “Butter” playlist on Spotify, I love that one. For fashion I go to Who What Wear. Any makeup stuff it’s probably through the makeup artists that I’ve worked with. Otherwise, I’m always looking at Byrdie’s Instagram.

Which five celebrities would you invite to a dinner party (dead or alive)? 

I’m such a homebody I can’t imagine myself having a big party. But if I were to have one … I would love to have Florence Pugh over. I feel like she just has that energy, she seems like so much fun. I would invite Kiersey Clemons — I worked with her on Monarch. I just like people that seem funny and have positive energy. Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, and Natalie Portman. Sorry, those are all actors.

What’s the last meal you cooked for dinner?

I haven’t cooked for myself in a bit because I’ve been in L.A., but I always just do something easy. So it was probably soba, which is Japanese noodles. You just have to boil it, get the soup ready, and it’s done. I added shichimi, some spice, and daikon oroshi, some shaved radish.

What is your pre-filming ritual? 

On Shōgun, I was always walking around with my incense. I would light it in my trailer, I’d have my Shōgun playlist going, which would keep me in the mood of Mariko. I also like to play the Rubik’s Cube when I’m in my chair because it allows me to focus on something else that doesn’t require any creative thinking, shifting my focus for a while. I don’t like reading novels because it makes me go to a different place emotionally, whereas a Rubik’s Cube will allow you to just do the math in your head.

What’s on your Shōgun playlist?

A bunch of songs I had picked from other shows or movies that felt a little Japanese or sentimental, or with a warrior-type vibe. They’re all instrumental songs, like “HMY” from Normal People for a scene where Mariko is thinking of her dad or something.

What’s your comfort rewatch?

I’m always watching Friends. I love Friends. Every Christmas I rewatch Love Actually. And then I catch myself rewatching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind maybe once every year.

What is something you’ll never, ever watch no matter what?

I cannot watch horror films. I’ve had my agent send me horror films because they were critically acclaimed and I can never finish. I just can’t enjoy it!

Does that mean you won’t be acting in a horror film anytime soon?

I feel like when you’re acting, you can’t actually be scared, right? You have to think about everything that’s happening and you know you’re going to be scared when a certain thing comes out. So maybe that’s still okay. But I don’t think I would be telling people to watch the film because I don’t like scary films, so probably not.

What’s the best piece of gossip you’ve ever heard?

[Gasps.] Gossip! I was just talking to Kiersey Clemens right now … wait, I can’t tell you what it is though.

Favorite game to play?

Othello, where you flip the black-and-white pieces. Or Connect Four.

What music do you listen to when you’re alone?

It really depends on my mood. Sometimes I’m listening to the playlist “Lazy Jazz Cat,” which is just jazz music. And then sometimes I’ll just have the top 50 on shuffle. I like listening to Japanese music as well. I never really grew up listening to it, but then once I was on location and I was missing Japan, I started listening. There’s this Japanese singer called Fujii Kaze and his music is so lovely.

Name a book you couldn’t put down? 

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. He’s Japanese but writes in English. It’s going to be a movie and I’m so excited to watch.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Someone, when I was a teen, told me that people can work really hard if they see something that they’re aiming for, but it’s about whether or not you can work hard when you don’t have that goal. So if there’s a specific audition, everyone’s going to try to memorize lines and work for that. But even when there aren’t any auditions, you should keep working on your craft, because you want to be ready when the opportunity comes.

What about the worst advice?

Oh my gosh, it makes me mad when I think about it. Someone in Japan had told me it’s mature to always say yes. He basically didn’t want me to tell him what I was thinking or feeling or what I wanted changed. I was like, Okay, I’m not going to talk to you.

What’s the one show that you recommend for someone who needs a little convincing in the period-drama department? 

The Crown.

If you have a partner — what show are they not allowed to watch without you?

If I had a partner … I loved The Last of Us so much that if my partner watched it without me, I would probably be very, very upset. I would make them watch it again with me.

Worst thing to do at a dinner party?

Start an argument. Or playing a song that only you like. It’s like, please, try to read the room.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.