For the critically acclaimed FX series “Shogun,” Sunday night’s Golden Globe win marked somewhat of a full-circle moment.
Anna Sawai took home the best actress in a television drama award for her portrayal of the mysterious, high society Lady Mariko. More than 40 years ago, the late Yoko Shimada won the very same category for the same role in the 1980 iteration of “Shogun,” becoming the first Asian actress to win a Golden Globe. Both series were based on the 1975 James Clavell novel of the same name.
FX’s “Shogun” revolves around a 17th century feudal Japan that’s in the midst of a civil war. Sawai’s Mariko serves as a critical interpreter between the powerful Lord Yoshii Toranaga and an Englishman shipwrecked in Japan, John Blackthorne.
While Shimada’s Mariko is also an interpreter, the storyline in the 1980 miniseries, which spanned five episodes, differs from the most recent “Shogun” in some major aspects. The plot in the 1980’s version largely revolves around the plight of Blackthorne, and more emphasis is placed on his romance with Mariko.
For Shimada, who died in 2022, the role was historic. And she became one of the first Asian actresses to win a Golden Globe in 1981. More than two decades later, in 2006, Korean Canadian actress Sandra Oh took home the best supporting actress in a series award for her portrayal of Cristina Yang on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Oh also won best actress in a television series drama in 2019 for her work in “Killing Eve,” becoming the first person of Asian descent to take home the award for that category, nearly four decades after Shimada.
Sawai has also broken barriers as Mariko. In September, she became the first Asian actress to win an Emmy for best actress in a drama series. And “Shogun” itself was the most-nominated series of that year.
“Thank you to my team and thank you to my family. Mom, I love you. You are the reason I’m here,” Sawai said while accepting the award. “You showed me stoicism and that’s how I was able to portray it. This is to all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone.”
Sawai’s win is one of four Golden Globes that the series took home on Sunday. Her co-star Hiroyuki Sanada, who played Lord Toranaga, won best actor in a television drama, and Tadanobu Asano, who plays the conniving Lord of Izu, Kashigi Yabushige, took home best supporting actor. The series itself won best television series drama.
