Anna Sawai

Nihongo|Anna Sawai (Sawai is credited in katakana for her music career, but her Japanese acting roles are credited in .) Born in New Zealand, she moved to Japan with her family at age 10. She landed her first acting role at age 11 as the title character in the 2004 Nippon Television production of Annie. Sawai later made her film debut in James McTeigue's 2009 martial arts film Ninja Assassin.

Sawai rose to fame in Japan as one of the lead vocalists of the girl group Faky. She made a return to acting with a supporting role in the British crime thriller series Giri/Haji. Her international breakthrough came with her role in the Apple TV+ drama series Pachinko. She gained further recognition for starring in the MonsterVerse series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and in the historical drama series Shōgun. For the latter, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, becoming the first Japanese actress to win a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2024, Time magazine included her on its 100 Next list.

Early and personal life Anna Sawai was born on June 11, 1992, in Wellington, New Zealand, to parents of Japanese descent. Her mother worked as a piano teacher, while her father worked for an electronics company. From age 3, her mother taught her to play the piano and sing. and resides in Tokyo. Sawai successfully auditioned for the entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. in 2006, earning her a management contract and training at their in-house music and dance bootcamp. and made her Hollywood feature film debut in a supporting role in James McTeigue's martial arts film Ninja Assassin (2009), in which she played Kiriko, a rebellious young ninja.

Sawai continued to receive vocal and dancing lessons throughout high school, and later enrolled at Sophia University. A month later, Sawai was announced as one of the members of the girl group ARA, an acronym for Avex Rising Angels, and that November they released the music video for their first and only single "Make My Dreams Come True". The group disbanded in early 2013 after less than a year of promotions, but in July that year, Avex announced that Sawai would be re-debuting as one of the lead vocalists for the girl group Faky under the Rhythm Zone record label.

While performing as a member of Faky, Sawai participated in a number of solo projects. In October 2015, she appeared as the lead actress in Elliott Yamin's music video for his song "Katy". Later that year, Sawai had a voice role as Angélique Noir in the 2017 fashion simulation video game Style Savvy: Styling Star In 2018, she made a return to acting with a supporting role in the coming-of-age mystery series Colors, appearing in two episodes. In May 2018, she appeared as a dancer in a limited run stage production of The Book, directed by Fuko Takenaka, as part of the Think Tank Bang dance art collective.

On November 16, 2018, Faky announced Sawai's departure from the group, citing her desire to focus on her acting career. She performed with the group for the last time on December 20 as part of their Four headline tour.

Breakthrough in television (2019–2024) In 2019, Sawai portrayed Eiko, the daughter of a Yakuza boss, in the British crime thriller series Giri/Haji. The series premiered on BBC Two in October to critical acclaim. That same year, Sawai was cast as martial arts warrior Elle Lue in F9, the ninth film in the Fast & Furious franchise, directed by Justin Lin. Filming for F9 took place between June and November 2019, and the film was released on May 19, 2021, to mixed reviews. F9 set several pandemic box office records with worldwide earnings of $726 million.

Since 2022, Sawai has portrayed the main role of Naomi in the Apple TV+ adaptation of Pachinko, based on the novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee. Naomi is an original character created for the series. The ensemble cast of the series won an Independent Spirit Award. In June 2022, Sawai was cast as Cate Randa, the lead role in Legendary's MonsterVerse television series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The show is a spin-off of the 2014 film Godzilla, and premiered on Apple TV+ on November 17, 2023, to positive critical reception.

In September 2021, Sawai was cast as the female lead, Lady Mariko, in the FX limited series Shōgun, based on the novel by James Clavell. The series premiered in February 2024, and Sawai's performance received critical acclaim. The New York Times said Sawai "is thoroughly convincing and captivating as Mariko," and Rolling Stone said Sawai "speaks volumes with every pained look on Mariko’s face". RogerEbert.com called her performance "revelatory", and Entertainment Weekly praised Sawai for evolving the role past the 1980 version with "steely strength and spirited temper befitting a more modern audience". The Hollywood Reporter identified the performance as a career achievement for the actress: "Sawai has been tip-toeing around full-fledged stardom for several years with supporting roles... but this feels like her arrival. The actress inhabits Mariko so fully as a fragile, wavering soul and a stealthy badass."

In 2024, she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Shōgun, making her the first Japanese actress to win any Primetime Emmy, and the first actress of Asian descent to win that Primetime Emmy category. In 2025, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. In 2025, Variety named Sawai's performance in Shōgun as one of the greatest TV performances in the 21st century.

In September 2024, Sawai was chosen as brand ambassador for jewelry designer Cartier. In December of the same year, WWD honored her with the magazine's inaugural Fashion Newcomer Style Award. In February 2025, fashion design house Dior named Sawai a brand ambassador.

Transition to film (2025–present) In 2026, Sawai will co-star in the heist film How to Rob a Bank, directed by David Leitch. Sawai will then co-star in Enemies, opposite Austin Butler and Jeremy Allen White. Sawai will also co-star in (Saint) Peter, a comedy-drama written and directed by Josh Klausner.

Sawai will portray Yoko Ono in The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, a series of interconnected biopics directed by Sam Mendes and due to be released in April 2028. On taking the high-profile role, Sawai said: "It’s just exciting because her story is so inspirational to me, and people really don’t know the true person that she was. She’s an incredible artist. And also, she just was an independent woman and people didn’t like that. They wanted John (Lennon) for themselves and she was an easy target. And I think it’s very meaningful for me to be able to tell her story."

Filmography +Key Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film Year Title Role Notes 2009 Ninja Assassin Kiriko 2028 Yoko Ono Filming TBA Post-production Sister Theresa Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2007 Natsu 1 episode

Music videos Year Title Artist Role 2015 "Katy" Elliot Yamin Lead role

Video games Year Title Voice role Notes 2017 Style Savvy: Styling Star Angélique Noir North American and PAL versions

Stage credits Year Production Role Venue 2004 Annie Annie Aoyama Theatre Hollywood ReporterCover/THR Roundtable WCover/interview 2025PerfectCover/interview

Discography

Awards and nominations

She was named one of Time’s Women of the Year for 2025.