It was more happening in the moment.
Do you have a different mindset when you think about her now versus where you started?
SAWAI: You’re asking very, very good questions.
Custom Image by Jefferson Chacon
[Laughs] I was preparing myself enough to play her, but it was very subjective.
Now, I’m viewing her objectively as well.
So in that sense, I do have a different view now.
When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, Lord Yoshii Toranaga discovers secrets that could tip the scales of power and devastate his enemies.
How many days was that to film?
SAWAI: I believe it was only one day.
I don’t think they spent too many days trying to figure that out.
Image via FX
I’m sure that the planning was much, much longer, butwe did it in a day.
I like that scene because we get to see her in a very, very different light.
She’s allowed to say all this stuff.
Image via FX
So it wasn’t too tough more liberating.
Mariko’s rebellion manifests in a more physical sense later on, when the group tries to leave.
From her perspective, she’s following orders, but there’s this tense standoff.
Image via FX
We don’t know who’s going to make it out of this moment alive.
SAWAI: I played it that she was going to go far.
“You’re not letting me leave, and that means that you’re keeping me hostage.
And if you’re not allowing me to leave this castle, then I will accept it.”
Everything that she does feel emotionally when she’s on the ground, that’s shame.
She comes from a family where she’s been treated with respect.
So we see her going through that, butit’s all part of the plan.
She’s aware that this is about to happen when she’s approaching the gates.
SAWAI: I think she misses her old friend.
That’s how I felt when I was looking into Fumi [Nikaido]’s eyes.
It really feels like the world has pulled them apart, and it’s not her fault.
So, in a way, she feels sorry.
Ochiba doesn’t want her to die.
I loved shooting that scene.
I don’t think it’s anything like, “Oh, how dare you.
You don’t understand.”
Mariko can’t fulfill her duty to Toranaga, so she decides to commit seppuku.
SAWAI: Oh, absolutely.
I’m going to second the person that I love so that she can die in peace.
Forget everything, all the tension that we’ve been through.
Is that how you and Cosmo [Jarvis] decided to play it?
What was the mood like on set for that scene?
Was it the last scene that you filmed for the show, since it was a chronological shoot?
We had to do it in four different shots.
It was very, very real in that sense, same as how the viewers view it.
It’s like, “No,” and then it happens.
When you wear a suit, it’s hard to slouch.
Sometimes it’s a little tight around your arms, and it’s very tight around your waist.
I remember some of the ADs joking because I worked with them again afterward on a more modern show.
They were like, “Oh, you’re so quick to come to set.”
There was a lot of adjustment, but I really liked it.
Now I know how I should be acting, how I should be carrying myself in a kimono.
It also changes the way I take bites when I’m eating Japanese food, just a little.
I’ve learned so much.
New episodes ofShogunpremiere each Tuesday on FX and Hulu in the U.S.
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