“Shōgun” star Hiroyuki Sanada has not one, but two chances at taking home a trophy at the 2024 Emmy awards. Sanada is nominated for Best Drama Actor for the role of Lord Toranaga, and is also nominated as a producer of the 25-time nominated series. Speaking to Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview (watch above), Sanada is unable to choose which nomination is more meaningful. “It’s a big thing as an actor, of course,” he says. “Also this is my first experience doing producing in my life. So both nominations are so amazing for me.”
For Sanada, playing an active role on the production side made his job as an actor easier. “Standing in front of the camera, I feel like I was ready,” he says. “As a producer, I’m involved with the script, the casting, staffing, everything. So when I start acting, I was so comfortable and confident. We’ve done everything.”
Toronaga spends much of the season as an orchestrator, always thinking several steps ahead of his adversaries. “He’s a great strategist, coordinator and conductor of the country,” argues Sanada. But the actor also says that he tried to also show Toranaga’s inner conflicts, particularly when his machinations impact those around him. “He’s not always cool,” he says. “He’s always crying inside. While I played it calmly, in my mind it was like a jet coaster. I tried to show a poker face, but everything in my mind came out through my eyes. That was the way to play Toranaga.”
Sanada says that the episode he submitted to Emmy voters, “The Abyss of Life,” illustrates the character’s emotional inner turmoil. The episode highlight occurs when Toranaga’s most trusted friend Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka) commits ritual suicide in front of Toranaga. Sanada and Nishioka have a long personal and professional friendship, which Sanada says only fueled his performance. “He was the best actor to play that role, especially for me,” he says. “So after that scene, my mind was empty and it felt like I’d lost an old friend for real.” That scene was followed by another impactful scene where Toranaga lets down his emotional guard to Mariko (Anna Sawai). “That’s the first time his emotions came out,” explains Sanada. “So those two scenes in episode eight were some of the most important scenes for me.”
With the show coming back for two more seasons, Sanada has a very clear vision for what’s in store for Toronaga. “The title of the show was ‘Shōgun,’ but I didn’t become a Shōgun in season one. I hope the audience can see Toranaga become Shōgun,” he argues. “We’re going to start a long journey.”
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