On Sunday, Anna Sawai became the first person of Asian descent to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The Shogun star, who plays the noblewoman and practicing Catholic Mariko in the hugely successful series, is an extremely versatile performer, who has also impressed in dramas such as Giri/Haji and Pachinko. To celebrate her triumph at the Emmy Awards, we’re looking at her life and career to date. Here are some things you may or may not have known about Anna Sawai.
10 Facts About Anna Sawai
1. She lived in New Zealand, Hong Kong and the Philippines during her youth
Anna Sawai was born in New Zealand’s capital of Wellington to parents of Japanese descent on June 11, 1992. When she was 3, her mother started teaching her to sing and play the piano. Her father worked at an electronics company and regularly had to move around for his job. The family lived in Hong Kong for a year and the Philippines for five before finally settling in Yokohama when Sawai was 10.
2. Sawai’s debut role was a starring one in the musical production Annie
In 2004, two years after arriving in Japan, a 12-year-old Sawai made her acting debut. She beat off competition from around 10,000 applicants to land the coveted lead role in the stage production of “Annie” that was also broadcast on Nippon TV. She shared the role with Riko Miyahara. At a press conference prior to the show, the pair appeared in Annie outfits and both performed “Tomorrow,” supported by 26 other children.
3. For her first Hollywood role, Sawai played a kunoichi
In 2006, Sawai signed with the famous entertainment conglomerate Avex and appeared in her first Hollywood feature film three years later. She played the rebellious teenage kunoichi (female ninja) Kiriko in James McTeigue’s action thriller Ninja Assassin. The story centers around Raizo, played by South Korean entertainer Jung Ji-hoon (better known as Rain), one of the world’s deadliest assassins. It also stars Naomie Harris, who’s most well known for playing Eve Moneypenny in three James Bond films.
4. She sang the U.S. national anthem to kick off the MLB season in 2012
During her late teens and early 20s, Sawai was better known as a singer than an actor. In 2012, she sang the U.S. national anthem in a match at the Tokyo Dome between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics to kick off the Major League Baseball season. Later that year, she joined ARA (Avex Rising Angels), but they disbanded in early 2013. Sawai then joined FAKY (Five Ass Kicking Youngsters) as one of the lead vocalists.
5. Her agency forced her to turn down an audition for Suicide Squad
Sawai sang with FAKY for five years before quitting to pursue a career as an actor. She later revealed that she wanted to audition for the role of Katana in the 2016 superhero flick Suicide Squad. Her agency, however, told her she couldn’t go for it as the other members of the group wouldn’t have anything to do for a month. “It felt like they were really tying me down,” said Sawai. The part went to Karen Fukuhara.
