The Golden Globes on Sunday night were a bit of a full circle moment for the highly regarded FX series Shogun.
For her performance as the enigmatic, high society Lady Mariko, Anna Sawai won best actress in a television drama. However, in the 1980 version of Shogun, the late Yoko Shimada won the same award for the same part more than 40 years ago. The 1975 James Clavell novel of the same name served as the basis for both television shows.
The plot of FX’s Shogun centers on a feudal Japan in the 17th century that is engaged in a civil war. Sawai’s Mariko acts as a crucial mediator between Englishman John Blackthorne, who was shipwrecked in Japan, and the formidable Lord Yoshii Toranaga.
Although Shimada’s character Mariko likewise serves as an interpreter, there are some significant distinctions from the 1980 miniseries, which consisted of five episodes. Blackthorne’s predicament is a major theme in the story. Additionally, his romance with Mariko is given more attention.
The position was historic for Shimada, who passed away in 2022. Additionally, in 1981, she was among the first Asian actors to win a Golden Globe. Sandra Oh, a Korean Canadian actress, won the 2006 Best Supporting Actress in a Series award for her role as Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy, more than 20 years later. For her role in Killing Eve, Oh also won best actress in a television series drama in 2019. She was the first Asian person to win the award, over forty years after Shimada.
Like Mariko, Sawai has broken down walls. She won the Emmy for best actress in a drama series in September, becoming her the first Asian woman to do so. Additionally, the most nominated series that year was Shogun.
I’d like to thank my family and my crew. I adore you, Mom. As she accepted the medal, Sawai remarked, “You are the reason I’m here.” I was able to convey stoicism because you demonstrated it to me. This is dedicated to all the women who continue to set an example for everyone and have no expectations.
The series won four Golden Globes on Sunday, including Sawai’s most recent victory. Tadanobu Asano, who plays the cunning Lord of Izu, Kashigi Yabushige, won best supporting actor, while her co-star Hiroyuki Sanada, who played Lord Toranaga, won best actor in a television drama. The show itself took up the award for outstanding drama on television.
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