Emmy-Winning ‘Shogun’ Actress Anna Sawai Chosen for Time100 Next List

By Yasushi Kaneko / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

13:33 JST, October 4, 2024

NEW YORK — Anna Sawai, who won an Emmy for her performance in the drama series “Shogun,” has been chosen by Time magazine as one of next 100 leaders who are shaping the future, it was announced Wednesday.

This year, Sawai, 32, became the first Japanese woman to win an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress for her role in “Shogun.” In the drama set during the Sengoku period (1493-1573), she plays Mariko, a Christian woman who remains loyal to Lord Yoshii Toranaga.

Hiroyuki Sanada, who played Toranaga and also won an Emmy for his performance, wrote for Time in tribute: “Anna Sawai could play any role on this earth, or in space. Period pieces or far-future films — she is so talented that she can do anything. … From here, she’ll just get bigger, and bigger.”