‘Shōgun’s Anna Sawai Makes History As First Actress Of Asian Descent To Win Lead Actress In A Drama Series Emmy: “To All The Women Who Expect Nothing And Continue To Be An Example”

First-time Emmy nominee Anna Sawai has become the first actress of Asian descent to win in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category at the Emmys. As Toda Mariko in the FX series Shōgun, Sawai, who is of Japanese descent, has made history.

An emotional Sawai said in her speech, “Thank you to John Landgraf and the whole FX team for believing in our story. Thank you to Justin and Rachel for believing in me and giving me this role of a lifetime. Thank you to every one of the crew and cast, led by Hiro (Hiroyuki Sanada). He really has opened doors and continues to open doors for people like me.”

She also thanked co-star Cosmo Jarvis for being “the most truthful non-BS actor I’ve ever met”, and her mom for showing her stoicism: “And that’s how I was able to portray Mariko. This is to all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone.”

In 1981, Lead Actress Yôko Shimada was Emmy nominated for the same role in the previous adaptation of Shōgun, which was a Limited Series. And earlier this year, in the belated 2023 Emmys ceremony, Ali Wong became the first woman of Asian descent ever to win an Emmy for a lead role, in the Limited Series category for Beef. 

Shōgun, which was created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks from James Clavell’s 1975 bestseller, follows political and social wranglings in 17th Century Japan. The show already made Emmy history last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys, winning 14 awards, the mostEmmys ever for one season of a television series.

Sawai’s character, Christian noblewoman interpreter Mariko-sama, befriends shipwrecked explorer John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), while becoming an invaluable ally to Hiroyuki Sanada’s Lord Yoshii Toranaga, and Tadanobo Asano’s Lord Kashigi Yabushige. The story sees her out-strategizing even the most fearsome and powerful lords and shows off some warrior-level combat skills.

Earlier this year, Marks told Deadline of finding “unicorn” actress Sawai, “We didn’t have a show until we cast her. And until that point, I didn’t know if this was going to get to the starting line.” And Sanada, who is also a producer on the show, agreed: “Anna was the only one on Earth who could play this role.”

To prepare, Sawai did extensive reading on Hosokawa Gracia, the real Japanese noblewoman who inspired Clavell’s character.

Also known for her roles in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Pachinko, she told Deadline she had been in “search for what spoke to me, [which] had nothing to do with my race, doing action, or playing roles that felt submissive or just very attractive. That’s how we found Pachinko. And then that led to Shōgun.”