Meet Anna Sawai, the star of Shogun: 'Females in Asia aren't just young, small action heroes'

Anna Sawai may not be a household name in the UK yet, but her star is very much on the rise. Just months after shining opposite no less a co-star than Godzilla in Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, she will next be fronting the lavish historical drama Shōgun, the biggest new show on Disney+.

Yet the Japanese actor was initially turned down for the role as Lady Mariko Toda in this 10-part adaptation of James Clavell 1975 bestseller. “They didn’t like me!” she says. “I didn’t get it so I was moving on to the next project.”