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10 Interesting Facts About the ‘Shogun’ Star

Chiba Mani

On Sunday night, Hiroyuki Sanada became the first Japanese and only the second Asian to win the Emmy for Best Actor. To celebrate his win, we’re taking a look back at his life and career so far. Here are 10 facts you may or may not know about Hiroyuki Sanada.

10 facts about Hiroyuki Sanada

Chiba Mani

1. He made his film debut as a child with Shinichi Chiba

After working as a child model for magazines, Shimozawa Hiroyuki (as he was known at the time) joined the Himawari Theater at age 5. His film debut came shortly before his sixth birthday, when he played the role of Chiba Shinichi In the 1966 gangster film, Games of chance. The following year, the duo reprised both roles in two sequels.

2. Chiba became his mentor

Working with Men’s magazines, Sanada said that when he and his brother were young, they learned kendo from their father. Unfortunately, his father died when Sanada was 11 years old. Soon after, Sanada joined the Chiba Japan Action Club, a training school for aspiring martial arts actors and stuntmen. Chiba became like a father to him.

3. In 1978, he changed his name to Hiroyuki Sanada

Chiba advised his young protégé to quit performing arts activities upon entering high school and concentrate on his studies. After a short break, the teenager auditioned for a role in a Kinji Fukasaku film and resumed his acting career. Shogun’s warrioralso starring Chiba. He changed his last name from Shimozawa to Sanada when the film was released.

4. He was also a popular singer in the 1980s

Sanada’s acting career continued to flourish in the 1980s. During that decade, he also earned a bachelor’s degree in film science from Nihon University and became a popular singer, releasing multiple singles and albums. Many of his hits were related to the movies or TV series he starred in, including his best-selling song “Youth Storm”, which he wrote for the martial arts film Youth Storm. Fire.

5. Sanada was awarded the MBE in 2002

British actor Nigel Hawthorne suggested Sanada to play the Fool in the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production of King Lear after seeing him perform in Yukio Ninagawa’s Japanese version of Hamlet. After the performance, Sanada was awarded the honorary Order of the British Empire (MBE) for “services to the spread of British culture in Japan.” He is the second Japanese actor to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company after Igawa Togo.

6. Edward Zwick relied on Mao Sanada for the fight scenes in The Last Samurai

A year after receiving the MBE, Sanada made his first Hollywood film appearance in Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai. Japanese actor Felt If it weren’t for King Lear, he might not have auditioned for the role. Memoirs He “relies on Sanada’s extensive martial arts experience” to help him “stage many of the fight scenes.”

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7. He almost chopped off Tom Cruise’s head

During the shooting The Last SamuraiStar Tom Cruise insisted that Sanada swing a real sword at his neck. “Tom’s neck was right in front of me, and I tried to stop swinging my sword, but it was hard to control with one hand,” Sanada said. Tell He was promoting a film in Taiwan at the time and told reporters the blade was only half an inch away from the Hollywood star’s neck.

8. Sanada and Ken Watanabe become the most popular Japanese actors in Hollywood

In recent years, the situation has changed slightly, but for a long time The Last Samurai It feels like any significant Japanese role in an American film is played by either Watanabe or Sanada. While Watanabe can be said to have made his mark with films such as initial and Batman BeginsSanada is the star of major TV series, e.g. Lost, Existing recent, Westworld.

9. Sanada’s unofficial job in Hollywood is to ensure that Japan is portrayed accurately

Sanada is more than just an actor, he’s also a cultural ambassador for Japan, a role he takes very seriously. “Of course I love acting, but if it’s not being filmed, I’ll be on the set checking if everything is correct, like how to wear a kimono,” he once said. explain“I even check if the extras are wearing the right kimonos. I love doing that.”

10. He insisted that all Japanese characters in Shogun must be played by Japanese actors

As an actor, the influence of his words is limited. General, The difference is that he is also a producer on the show. This gives him more control. As a result, the story is told from a Japanese perspective rather than from a stereotypical Western image. He also persist in All Japanese characters are played by Japanese actors, and “professional period drama staff are brought in from Japan.”

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