Anna Sawai gave a very brief victory speech after taking winning first Golden Globe, claiming the award for best female actor in a TV drama for her performance in the FX drama “Shōgun.”
“Thank you to the voters for voting for me, even though I would vote for Kathy Bates any day,” Sawai said, referencing her competitor who was nominated for “Matlock.”
“Thank you to our incredible writers. Without a good script, it’s impossible to give a performance to our fullest potential. Thank you to everyone else. I’m going to thank you later!” Sawai concluded.
In “Shōgun,” Sawai plays Toda Mariko, a highborn woman who serves as a translator between the Japanese ruler Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and the English mariner John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis). She beat Bates (“Matlock”), Emma D’Arcy (“House of the Dragon”), Keira Knightley (“Black Doves”), Keri Russell (“The Diplomat”) and Maya Erskine (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) in the category.
In September, “Shōgun” won 18 Emmys for its first season, breaking the record for the most-awarded series in a single year. Sawai won for best lead female actor in a TV drama series, becoming the the first Japanese actress to win any Primetime Emmy Award and the first Asian actor to win in that category. The Japanese-language historical drama took home other major awards at the Golden Globes as well, including best TV drama, best male actor in a drama for Hiroyuki Sanada and best male supporting actor in a drama for Tadanobu Asano.
Outside of “Shōgun,” Sawai is known for her roles in the high-octane racing pic “F9” and Apple TV+’s drama series “Pachinko.” Born in New Zealand, Sawai moved to Japan as a child and landed her first acting role at age 11 as the title role in Nippon TV’s 2004 production of “Annie.”
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