American Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada won his first Golden Globe for Best Actor for the series “Shogun”.
On the evening of January 5 (Los Angeles time, or the morning of January 6, Hanoi time), Hiroyuki Sanada won in his first nomination. He surpassed actors in the same category including Donald Glover (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Jake Gyllenhaal (Presumed Innocent), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), Eddie Redmayne (The Day of the Jackal) and Billy Bob Thornton (Landman).
On stage, he said: “I want to thank everyone who has been in my life. You have helped me have this moment. To all the young actors and creators in the world, be yourself, believe in yourself and never give up.”
Hiroyuki Sanada, 65, was born in Tokyo, Japan. Over his 50-year career, he has starred in dozens of projects, winning Japan’s top film award for his role in The Twilight Samurai. Sanada’s first Hollywood role was The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise. He has since starred in films such as The Wolverine, 47 Ronin, Avengers: Endgame, Bullet Train, John Wick: Chapter 4. He also appeared in Minamata, alongside Bill Nighy and Johnny Depp.
In Shogun, Sanada plays the warlord Yoshii Toranaga. The character calculates every step to achieve his goal of unifying Japan, and knows how to encourage, entice, and even threaten others to do as he wishes. The actor reflects the character’s psychology through body language and voice, helping to convince the audience to believe in the story.
In addition to playing the lead role, the artist also takes on the role of producer. According to Nikkei, Sanada always wants the project to be as authentic as possible to convey Japanese culture. He and his crew focus on investing in all aspects, such as the script, costumes, and setting. On days when there is no filming schedule, Sanada often visits the set, checks the props and costumes, and gives feedback. “My goal has always been to avoid misunderstandings abroad when playing a Japanese person or appearing in a film about Japan,” he said.
This year’s Golden Globes saw FX’s Shogun receive four nominations, including best drama series. At the 2024 Emmys, which led the television category with 25 nominations, Sanada won best actor in a drama series, becoming the first Japanese actor to do so.
The Golden Globes are run by Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions (DCP), after the Hollywood Foreign Press Association sold all assets, rights and ownership of the show in June 2023. Starting in 2024, each category will have six films competing for awards, instead of five as before.
Last year, Oppenheimer swept the Golden Globes, including the big prize for Best Drama. In television, HBO’s Succession took home four awards, including Best Drama Series.
