Anna Sawai on Possibly Returning to ‘Shōgun’ as a Ghost (Exclusive)

Sunday night, “Shōgun” star Anna Sawai won Best Performance by a Female Actress in a Television Series — Drama at the 2025 Golden Globes!

“Extra’s” Melvin Robert spoke with Anna, who shared her reaction to hearing her name being called.

She shared, “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it. I heard many stories about how it’s kind of unpredictable, so I was going to, you know, be happy for whoever got it. And then they called my name and then I got so stressed that I needed to make a speech.”

Anna was “happy” to be able to portray a strong woman, saying, “I think that the struggles that my character portrays, it’s, like, so apparent still, and so I know that a lot of people are connecting to that story and I’m just hoping that it’ll make them feel a little bit more powerful.”

In the past, Anna has said she’d come back as a ghost on the show if they called her, but she clarified her stance.

She said, “I would hop on a plane immediately if they asked, but I feel like it’s not going to happen because her story is done and it’s complete and it’s perfect, so I don’t want to do anything to it.”

Plus, Sawai fangirled over getting to meet Andrew Scott at the ceremony, saying, “I couldn’t meet him at the Emmys. I saw him today and he said that I looked great, so I’m just so happy.  That was the highlight of the day.”

Mel also spoke with Anna’s co-star Hiroyuki Sanada, who said his mind went “blank” after his name was called as the winner of Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series — Drama.

Hiroyuki reflected on how incredible the experience of making the show has been, since he’s also a producer. 

He said, “I put all my experience in my life into [the] show. ‘Shōgun’ brought me here, so it’s an amazing journey for me.”

Hiroyuki also shared the message he’d give his younger self: “Believe in yourself and never give up”!