Anna Sawai has embarked on a significant journey since her groundbreaking achievement at the 2024 Emmy Awards, where she made history as the first actress of Asian descent to secure the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award for her role in ‘Shōgun.’ Reflecting on her life post-Emmys in an interview with PEOPLE, Sawai acknowledges the profound impact her choices now hold within the industry.
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Since her win, Sawai, 33, has accumulated an impressive collection of awards for her performance as Lady Mariko in ‘Shōgun.’ She amusingly notes that her trophies are currently stacked in boxes due to a lack of space in her home. However, her newfound recognition has not only resulted in an array of accolades but also brought her closer to icons like Kathy Bates, who she describes as a texting friend after they met on the Emmys red carpet.
The success of ‘Shōgun’ has vastly altered Sawai’s career trajectory. “Initially, you find yourself auditioning for available roles and accepting whatever comes your way,” she explains. “Now, I’m able to choose projects based on my interests.” This shift has allowed her to appreciate the implications of her selections, recognising that her choices can inspire others, particularly young girls.
Following her success in ‘Shōgun,’ Sawai took on a significant role as Cate Randa, a schoolteacher grappling with PTSD in the first season of Apple TV’s ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.’ The role, she reveals, offered her the opportunity to explore different facets of acting within an engaging monster narrative. With the second season of the series now streaming, Sawai’s popularity continues to rise, although she lightheartedly mentions that her height often leads to being overlooked in public. “I can walk around in casual clothes and be myself without being recognised,” she jokes.
Staying firmly grounded in her personal life is vital to Sawai. She credits her family—parents and sister—with helping her remain humble amid her rising fame. They celebrate her achievements but consistently shift the focus back to the basics of daily life, often asking her about dinner plans, which she appreciates as a reminder of reality.
Sawai’s upbringing was marked by an international lifestyle, having been born in New Zealand and later moving between Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines due to her father’s work in electronics. At age 10, her family settled in Japan, and by the following year, she had landed the lead role in a televised production of ‘Annie.’ Her childhood dreams revolved around becoming a singer, a passion so strong that at 14, she enrolled in a rigorous J-pop training programme, shaping her early artistic development.
After completing her education and training, Sawai made her debut in the music industry as a lead vocalist for the girl group Faky in 2013. While she enjoyed her experiences with the group, she encountered challenges related to creative freedom. “It was often not about my aspirations but rather what the company permitted,” she reflects. Ultimately, she departed from Faky in 2018 in pursuit of roles that better aligned with her identity as an artist.
Sawai’s career took an impressive turn with roles in major Hollywood productions like ‘Fast & Furious F9’ and the Apple TV series ‘Pachinko.’ Now, she is preparing to take on one of her most ambitious roles yet: portraying Yoko Ono in a series of biopics about the Beatles directed by Sam Mendes, set for release in 2028.
Looking ahead, Sawai shares her desire to start a family someday while maintaining her commitment to storytelling through her acting career. “I see myself creating a family and then returning to work,” she notes. “There are countless stories waiting to be told, and I hope to continue engaging with projects that resonate with me.”
With the second season of ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ now available for streaming on Apple TV, Anna Sawai’s star is undoubtedly on the rise, as she continues to balance her evolving career aspirations with personal growth and the core values instilled by her family.