"It was important we were bringing more authenticity if we were going to redo it," the actress adds, referring to the 1980 miniseries of the same name
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00:00Now it's the sit down with Anna Sui.
00:02Hi, Anna.
00:03Yay, let's talk show good.
00:06Congratulations on this series.
00:08It was absolutely mesmerizing.
00:10Enemies are everywhere and friends nowhere.
00:13To show your true heart is to risk your life.
00:19Because death can come for us at any moment.
00:22Where does a character like Lady Mariko go
00:24after playing her and talking about her
00:26after all these months?
00:27Does a little piece of her stay with you?
00:30I thought that I had kind of let her go
00:32the moment that I wrapped
00:33because the next day I had to go onto a different project.
00:37But when we started doing press for Shogun
00:41before its release,
00:43I saw how much I was still carrying
00:45because I couldn't talk about certain scenes
00:48or the character without like tearing up.
00:56It's also such a special time
00:58because the cherry blossom petals are now falling
01:03and people probably know the quote that she says,
01:06which is flowers are only flowers because they fall.
01:09And I think it's such a Mariko thing for her
01:12to kind of be released now.
01:15I know there was another Shogun miniseries in the 80s.
01:17I think this current adaptation
01:19represents a new generation of actors and storytellers.
01:23What was one way you made the story of Shogun your own?
01:25I think that we needed the introduction, you know,
01:29the 80s series was amazing.
01:31And from what I've heard, sorry,
01:34I haven't watched it because I was instructed not to.
01:37As a Japanese person,
01:38it was important that we were bringing more authenticity
01:41if we were gonna redo it.
01:44Are you missing the kimono at all or the walk?
01:46I was doing that walk around my kitchen
01:48and it was not pretty.
01:50I love how the kimono looks,
01:52but after wearing it for hours a day for 10 months,
01:57I was so happy to take it off
01:58and like go into my comfortable sweats and whatnot.
02:03Who was the goofiest between takes?
02:05Cosmo is very funny, but I don't know if it's goofy.
02:08Like he'll like say very funny things.
02:13And yeah, but I think,
02:15I feel like a lot of people will point at me
02:18because I like to just play around,
02:20but also surprisingly, Hiro is so down to earth.
02:24And I think that he likes making people laugh.
02:28So when you're talking about something,
02:29he'll just like put a, you know,
02:31throw in a little joke and like people will start laughing.
02:34I love that about him.
02:36I know you got your big break
02:37in a production of Annie, the musical.
02:39♪ Watashi wo shiteita no wa ♪
02:44And you've been in singing groups.
02:46So can we expect anything musical in your future?
02:49Ooh.
02:50You know, I was actually approached recently in Japan
02:55about like, if I was interested in like recording something
02:58and I was like, I don't think so.
03:02I don't think anyone wants to hear me like record a song,
03:05but because I did grow up loving music,
03:08I still love music.
03:11It is something that I'm interested in
03:13if it has to do with like projects
03:16and like shows or like movies.
03:19You've been busy with Shogun Press,
03:21interviews, morning shows, late night shows,
03:23the life of a TV star.
03:25But behind the scenes,
03:26have you been starstruck by anyone lately?
03:29I was doing press for Shogun
03:31and we were invited to do the Kelly Clarkson show.
03:35And I grew up listening to her
03:37and obviously I wasn't playing a character.
03:39I was there as myself.
03:40And so I was very nervous,
03:43but she was like the sweetest.
03:44And yeah, I was very much starstruck the whole interview.
03:49Finally, in 10 seconds,
03:50tell everyone why they should check out Shogun.
03:53I think that this is the first time
03:55that we're really getting a good glimpse
03:57into Japanese history and culture and our people.
04:01It's different from what we know today.
04:04So you should definitely watch it.
04:11Anna, thank you so much for being here.
04:13Thank you.