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February 20, 2024 - The Cinegeeks were invited to attend the Virtual Press Conference of the upcoming FX/Disney+ Show SHŌGUN starring Hiroyuki Sanada (Mortal Kombat, John Wick: Chapter 4), Cosmo Jarvis (Peaky Blinders), and Anna Sawai (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters). The show is based on the classic 1975 Historical Fiction novel by James Clavell, famous of his series of novels (colloquially termed the Asian Saga) released from 1962 to 1993 that chronicled the historically fictional adventures of Western protagonists going through journeys of self-discovery as they get immersed in Asian culture.
The Virtual Press-con was streamed online via the YouTube page of the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan, and also on hand were Showrunner Justin Marks (Top Gun: Maverick), Associate Producer Rachel Kondo, and Michaela Clavell, daughter of James Clavell who serves as Executive Producer on the show. The press conference was moderated by FCCJ member and documentary filmmaker Thomas Ash.
The half-hour press conference briefly touched upon the actors and creatives’ experiences working with highly-revered material such has SHŌGUN, how the creative process had influenced in them a newfound of respect for different cultures working towards a common goal, and how they hoped the show would be a big step forward for Japanese actors, and the Japanese TV/film industry as a whole.
Hiroyuki Sanada wears multiple hats for the production, starring not just as Lord Toranaga but acting also as a Producer on the show. According to the veteran actor, he advocated for a true “East meets West” approach to creating the show, in addition to fostering a language of “common respect”, which Sanada hopes will surprise audiences in terms of what joint production of different cultures can achieve. Sanada was also lauded by Showrunner Marks as being the show’s “secret weapon”, as his fingerprints were all over the creation of the show, from advising on the depiction of certain cultural aspects, to cultivating a spirit of teamwork that permeates from the specialists and consultants all the way to the main cast and crew. Adds Sanada, “It’s the collaboration of the East and the West that will hopefully show the world that people working together can make ‘miracles’ happen.”
Anna Sawai, who portrays Lady Mariko, remarked that there’s “so much representation now” but had hoped that Asian women were accurately portrayed, instead of being relegated to common tropes such has “sexy women, quiet housewives, or fighting girls.” She expressed her full confidence that SHOGUN will hopefully be the beginning of a trend of accurate portrayal of Asian women and their struggles in Western media.
In creating the world of SHŌGUN, Marks had intentionally made it a point to be as respectful and non-appropriative of Japanese culture. Instead, the subject matter was tackled by taking the best of the East and the West, and using that to explore the headspace of people living during the show’s time period. When asked what the show had hoped to send out as a message to the world, Marks remarked that Clavell’s novel had a lot of lessons that “the world had still failed to learn”, such has encountering other cultures with a spirit of generosity, as well as listening first and acting later, which he hopes the audience will latch on to.
FX’s SHŌGUN will release on Disney+ in the Philippines on February 27. For more information on the show, you can follow them via their social media handles below:
Instagram: @DisneyPlusPH
Facebook: @DisneyPlusPH
Don’t forget to use the Hashtags #ItsOnDisneyPlus, #SHŌGUN and #DisneyPlusPH!
Watch the trailer here:
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