Anna Sawai Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Shōgun standout Anna Sawai is preparing for her first Golden Globe Awards, but she’s not anxious about the ceremony or the possibility of taking the stage and walking away with a trophy.
“I feel like when I think about it too much, I do get quite nervous,” Sawai, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly at the 2025 WWD Style Awards on Friday, January 3, while stunning in a custom Louis Vuitton gown. “So, I’m not thinking about it at all.”
She added, “I’m just going to enjoy it, I don’t want to cry anymore. I’ll just think about it when I’m there.”
Sawai is nominated for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series, Drama. She is up against Kathy Bates (Matlock), Emma D’Arcy (House of the Dragon), Maya Erskine (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Keira Knightley (Black Doves) and Keri Russell (The Diplomat).
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images The list of nominees for the 2025 Golden Globe Awards proves that the stars will be shining bright at the 82nd annual ceremony. Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut announced the nominations — which honor accomplishments in both film and television — on Monday, December 9. Nikki Glaser is set to host the […]
Shōgun is also up for three other Golden Globes, including Best Television Series, Drama and individual acting nods for Sawai’s costars Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano. Before Sawai steps out at the Golden Globes on Sunday, January 5, she explained to Us how her recent Emmy victory is informing her award show prep and mindset.
“I feel like the Emmy win has allowed me to kind of not worry about it anymore, in the sense that it doesn’t matter,” Sawai said on Friday. “I got an Emmy and that’s amazing, and this time it’s just a celebration of everyone. I don’t want to focus on who wins and not. I think it’s made me learn a little bit.”
Sawai took home the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the Emmys in September 2024 — the first performer of Asian descent to earn the honor.
Anna Sawai Kayla Oaddams/Getty Images
“I was crying before my name was announced. I’m a mess today,” she said in her acceptance speech at the time. “Thank you to my team and thank you to my family. Mom, I love you. You are the reason I’m here. You showed me stoicism and that’s how I was able to portray it. This is to all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone.”
Sawai has since honored her loved ones after her victory.
“I bought my sister and my mom a Cartier ring,” she told Us. “But, none for myself. I am always trying to give more than I treat myself.”
Sawai’s Emmy win and Golden Globe nod were both in honor of her Shōgun role of Mariko, who died at the end of season 1.
“I personally feel like her story has concluded, and it’s perfect,” she quipped on Friday. “So, I’m not asking to come back.”
That being said, if the Shōgun creative team were interested in Mariko’s return, then Sawai “would absolutely do it.”
Until then, Sawai has her eyes on the big screen.
“I do want to do film. I feel like I haven’t done film in a long time, and I kind of want to do something that feels independent,” she said. “I’m just reading scripts, something that’s maybe like a bittersweet love story. I would love that.”
With reporting by Mariel Turner
