>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT
IS AN ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM "F-9," "PACHINKO,"
AND "MONARCH." SHE NOW STARS AS MARIKO
IN "SHOGUN." [SPEAKING JAPANESE]
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME
TO "THE LATE SHOW," ANNA SAWAI.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] ♪ ♪
ALL RIGHT. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO
THIS BECAUSE I LOVE YOUR PERFORMANCE IN "SHOGUN."
IT'S BEEN GETTING RAVE REVIEWS, THE ENTIRE SHOW.
C-14 ISN'T A REMAKE. IT'S A REVELATION.
DAZLING "SHOGUN" IS THAT TV EPIC YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.
AND "SHOGUN"'S, TVs MOST EPIC SERIES SINCE "GAME OF THRONES."
DID YOU GET TO SEE ALL OF IT BEFORE IT WAS RELEASED?
>> Anna: YES, I DID. >> Stephen: DID YOU HAVE A
SENSE HOW WELL IT WAS GOING TO BE RECEIVED?
IT'S EXTRAORDINARY. >> Anna: I FEEL LIKE WE PUT IN
EVERYTHING UNTIL WE WERE HOPING FOR IT TO BE REALLY WELL
RECEIVED BUT IT'S BEEN MIND-BLOWING BECAUSE EVERYONE
HAS BEEN TUNING AND LOVING IT AND IT MEANS SO MUCH.
>> Stephen: HOW LONG DID YOU WORK ON IT?
>> Anna: SUPPOSED TO BE SIX MONTHS PUT IT UP BEING TEN.
>> Stephen: IN VANCOUVER. >> Anna: IN VANCOUVER OUT OF
THE RAIN IN THE MONTH. >> Stephen: A LOT OF RAIN AND
A LOT OF MUD. IT TAKES PLACE IN THE YEAR 1600
IS WHERE IT STARTS IN JAPAN. YOU ARE FLUENT IN JAPANESE BUT
IS JAPANESE FROM 1600 LIKE SHAKESPEAREAN ENGLISH IS FOR US?
IT'S MORE FORMAL OR DIFFERENT? >> Anna: EXACTLY.
IT'S LIKE SHAKESPEAREAN ENGLISH. EVERYONE THING IS A LITTLE BIT
MORE SLOW AND LONG. THANK YOU WOULD BE ARIGATO NOW.
BUT BACK THEN YOU WOULD SAY [SPEAKING JAPANESE]
>> Stephen: EVERYTHING TAKES A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME.
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE TV THEN.
>> Anna: YOU WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE LIKE THIS.
DO YOU LIKE THE OLD FORM. >> Anna: I DIDN'T APPRECIATE
IT IN THE BEGINNING BECAUSE IT WAS A LOT TO LEARN.
BUT I LOVE IT NOW, THERE IS SOMETHING VERY POETIC ABOUT IT.
IF I WERE TO SAY STEPHEN IS HERE.
I WOULD SAY [SPEAKING JAPANESE] IT SOUNDS BEAUTIFUL.
>> Stephen: I WOULDN'T BE MIND BEING ANNOUNCED ON THE SHOW
EVERY NIGHT. IT'S PRETTY INTENSE TO WATCH.
LONG BEAUTIFUL PASSAGE OF IT, LONG INTENSELY VIOLENT PASSAGS.
WAS IT INTENDS TO SHOOT? YOU HAD TO LEARN A LOT OF THINGS
TO DO THIS, DIDN'T YOU? >> Anna: YEAH, IT WAS VERY,
VERY INTENSE. I FEEL LIKE THE EMOTIONAL ARC
THAT MARIKO HAS IS VERY HEAVY AS WELL.
LVING IN THAT BODY FOR TEN MONTHS DID WEIGH A LOT.
>> Stephen: YOU HAD TO LEARN TO RIDE HORSES.
>> Anna: HORSES. THE LONG SPEAR LIKE SWORD THAT
SHE HAS. WHAT ELSE DID I LEARN?
CALLIGRAPHY. IN THE WRITING.
>> Stephen: A REAL PERSON? >> Anna: YES.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE COPYING HER HANDWRITING?
>> Anna: YES. THE DETAILS.
>> Stephen: WE WOULDN'T KNOW. GOOD FOR YOU.
>> Anna: WE REALLY WORKED HARD.
>> Stephen: YOU HAD TO LEARN A SPECIAL WALK.
IT'S A VERY FLUID BUT SHORT STRIDE.
COULD YOU TEACH ME HOW TO WALK LIKE YOUR CHARACTER?
>> Anna: ABSOLUTELY. [CHEERING]
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THE SECRET?
>> Anna: I WANT TO PREFACE IT BY SAYING WOMEN WALK LIKE THIS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MEN ARE WALKING.
>> Stephen: I WANT TO WALK LIKE YOUR CHARACTERS WALKING,
NOT LIKE -- >> Anna: BEND YOUR KNEES AND
STICK THEM TOGETHER. YES.
AND YOU JUST MOVE YOUR FEET. YEAH, EXACTLY.
THEN YOUR HANDS HAVE TO BE HERE. SO YOU JUST WALK LIKE THAT.
[APPLAUSE] [LAUGHS]
>> Stephen: I LOVE ALL THE OUTFITS.
I LOVE THE PRECISION, HOW EVERYTHING IS LAID OUT.
I WANT ANYTHING IN MY LIFE TO BE AS CLEAN AND AS ORDERLY AS ANY
OF THE HOUSES THAT THEY HAVE. >> Anna: SO DO I.
WE HAD MULTIPLE PEOPLE WORKING ON THE SET.
>> Stephen: AT ALL TIMES. I UNDERSTAND YOU GREW UP IN A
FAMILY OF PERFORMERS. WAS THIS YOUR FIRST?
WAS THIS THE FIRST THING THAT YOU DID?
TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE. >> Anna: THE ONE IN THE RED
WIG IS ME. I'M 11 IN THIS PICTURE AND I'M
PLAYING ANNIE IN JAPANESE. >> Stephen: WOW.
[APPLAUSE] I'M JUST CURIOUS.
HOW DO YOU SAY "IT'S A HARD-KNOCK LIFE IN JAPANESE."
>> Anna: YOU SAY [SINGING IN JAPANESE]
>> Stephen: [SINGING IN JAPANESE]
>> Anna: YES! >> Stephen: AND US?
[SINGING IN JAPANESE] I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT.
>> Stephen: ONE THING THAT I SEE THAT YOU DID, CAN YOU TELL
ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHAT IS THIS?
>> Anna: WE WERE ON SET FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND I HAD TO
MEMORIZE SO MANY LINES. IN THE FINAL EDIT, THEY REALLY
DO IT SEAMLESSLY. MARIKO'S VOICE IS KIND OF FADING
INTO THE BACKGROUND AS SHE TRANSLATES WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL
BUT ONSET WAS TRANSLATING EVERY SINGLE LINE THAT THE TWO
CHARACTERS WERE SPEAKING. AND SO I TOOK UP KNITTING.
>> Stephen: YOU HADN'T DONE IT BEFORE.
>> Anna: NO, I'VE NEVER DONE IT BEFORE.
>> Stephen: FROM 0 TO 60 YOU ARE DOING THIS KIND OF WORK.
>> Anna: I STARTED WITH FINGER KNITTING, CHUNKY YARN, ANYONE
CAN DO IT AND THEN I SLOWLY STARTED GETTING INTO CROCHETING.
>> Stephen: TEN MONTHS GOT YOU HERE.
>> Anna: ABSOLUTELY, TEN MONTHS.
OH, MY GOSH, WAIT, YES. >> Stephen: ASK WHAT THIS IS?
>> Anna: I MADE YOU SOMETHING ON THE WAY HERE.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS IT? >> Anna: IT'S A CASE FOR YOUR
GLASSES. >> Stephen: OH, MY GOD.
[APPLAUSE] THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU FOR MY BEAUTIFUL GIFT AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL PERFORMANCE.
NEW EPISODES OF FX'S "SHOGUN" AIR TUESDAYS ON HULU.
ANNA SAWAI, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.