‘Shogun’ Star Hiroyuki Sanada on Season 2 Plans for FX’s Emmy Hit

Emmy-nominated actor Hiroyuki Sanada wants to flex his acting muscles. Not only is he hungry for more dramatic roles, but Sanada would also like to be considered for a romantic comedy – or even a musical.

The veteran actor recently received one of Hollywood’s top honors, an Emmy nomination for his work in FX’s “Shōgun.” Most awards experts have tipped him to take home the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series next month. And while Sanada can’t quite believe the series has racked up 25 nominations, he’s riding the wave and humbled by it. Listen to him in the latest episode of Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast below!

There is a motto that Sanada lives by, and that is ‘never rush’. The lesson comes from the warrior Tokugama Ieyasu, who inspired the character of Sanada (Lord Yoshii Toranaga) in the FX series “Shogun.”

Sanada explains how he applied that philosophy to life when he joined senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay for the Variety awards circuit podcast. He says he didn’t rush to become a good actor in his 20s or 30s. His goal was to wait until he was in his 40s or 50s.

“He became my hero because he ended the war period and created a peaceful era for about 260 years,” Sanada says of the real warrior.

Based on the novel of the same name by James Clavell, “Shogun” is a retelling of the Emmy-winning 1980s NBC miniseries. “Shogun” is set in feudal Japan in the 1600s and stars Anna Sawai as Lady Mariko, who is put in charge of translations for Lord Toranaga (Sanada) and Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), an English ship captain who enters a society preparing for war.

Sanada not only flexed his acting muscles in the ten-part series, he was appointed producer. For years he has worked on portraying Japanese culture as authentically as possible. “But I felt the limit of only saying something as an actor,” Sanada admits.

The producer title made a huge difference this time, he adds.

“This story is fictional entertainment, based on a true story and inspired by history,” he says. “To make the story and the character believable, we had to add authentic details.”

This meant having a say in how costumes, wigs and sets had to be authentic to the world of feudal Japan in the 1600s. The value of wearing the producer’s hat meant that even the spoken language was up to date linked and not to modern Japanese.

Sanada was in Berlin filming “John Wick: Chapter 4” when he spoke with the show’s costume designer Carlos Rosario. Once he packed up for the day, he collaborated over Zoom to exchange notes and ensure that the smallest details, from fabric to prints and even the thickness of an uchikake belt, were accurate for the time.

It didn’t end there. The show’s creators and writers, Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, relied on Sanada to help with staffing and ensure accuracy. “I hired Japanese authentic samurai drama specialists for each department, and that was fun,” says Sanada.

Sanada also discusses the season finale ending with his ascension to the shogunate, rather than showing the decisive historical battle of Sekigahara. “That’s the best ending for our show,” Sanada says when asked what conversations have been had about the ambiguous ending. “We’re going to show that, not the violence, not the fight scene, not a lot of nudity. We didn’t try to create a big battleground at the end,” he says. “Checkmate.”

In this episode he also talks about the most emotional scene to film: not the finale, but a sequence from episode 8.

And what about season 2? It’s in the works. Sanada reveals that the writers are back and he hasn’t seen a first draft yet. Clavell’s novel was something they learned from, and Sanada is looking forward to the original scripts full of endless possibilities for Season 2. “We don’t have the novel,” he says. “Freedom is there…I hope our writers will enjoy the freedom and of course respect the novel.”

What about Blackthorne and Cosmo Jarvis? He cryptically reveals that half of the existing cast will be back, and “the other half will be made up of new characters.”

Looking ahead, Sanada hopes to expand his already extensive body of work. “Comedy. A rom-com. A musical,” he laughs.

We also go through the limited and anthology series acting categories during the Roundtable and discover that it is more competitive than you might think.

Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode features “Awards Circuit” interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates on awards races and industry news, and more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts.