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[Thisstorycontainsspoilersfrom[ThisstorycontainsspoilersfromMonarch: Legacy of Monsters The second episode of the second season is titled “Resonance.”]
A lot has changed for Anna Sawai since season one Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. She’s now Emmy Award-winner Anna Sawai, and her career continues to soar in the wake of her performance for the ages Shogun First season.
Her prolific awards season in 2024 coincided with a movie shoot monarch Season 2, and having a support system around her proved to be somewhat comforting during this difficult time. She has added several buzzy films to her filmography in that time, but she doesn’t feel much change internally. “I don’t know if [life] Is this different? The first time we talked was for monarch “Season one, and I’ve been feeling like myself ever since,” Sawai says. Hollywood Reporter In support of the Apple TV series and its legendary Monsterverse spin-off, which returns on February 27.
One of those film projects mentioned above is the Sam Mendes movie The Beatles – a four-film cinematic eventan ambitious four-part series that tells the story of each member of a beloved English rock band. Sawai plays Yoko Ono, the long-term partner of John Lennon (played by Harris Dickinson).
“It’s surreal to say that [Yoko Ono’s] The story because it’s something I’ve wanted to tell for a long time. “Seeing all the actors come together and make up The Beatles on the set of Not From This Time is pretty cool,” Sawai says.
As for the show that launched her into the stratosphere, Sawai admits she misses it Shogun The collaborators are now off work on season two. When she ended her tragic story as Toda Mariko, the Emmy Award-winning FX series was still a limited series. However, she still wouldn’t change a thing if it meant being part of season two.
“I just received a text message from[[Shogun Director]Hiromi Kamata. She sent me a picture, and it was a poster of Mariko by the window. “She was like, ‘We miss you,’” Sawai says. “I miss the whole team so much because it was such a meaningful show for me. But my character’s path ended in the best way, and now people miss me. So, in that sense, it couldn’t be better.”
Could Mariko appear briefly in Season 2 via flashback or other narrative device? “That would be fun,” Sawai says with a laugh. “It’s going to be a surprise. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m also very excited to see Season 2.”
Below, during a conversation with THRalso discussed by Sawai monarch The character’s headspace now that she’s accidentally unleashed the Titan threat in Season 2, plus what to expect from the rest of Season 2. She then previews two more of her upcoming films, including A24’s Enemies Opposite Austin Butler and Jeremy Allen White, and led by Nicholas Hoult How to rob a bank.
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I hope you have a box of Kleenex nearby.
(He laughs.) i remember you. We have some here, but I don’t think I’ll need any.
A lot has changed since I was first there to talk For you in monarch Season one. I went into this short story with Shogun He won all the awards. Did it take a while to come back down to earth after such a surreal time period?
I knew it would go by very quickly. I knew a lot would happen before things calmed down, so I couldn’t hold out also Excited about everything. I was just going to every event, doing all the interviews and trying to keep myself grounded. So I don’t know if [life] Is this different? The first time we talked was for monarch Season 1, and I’ve been feeling the same ever since.
You were doing award-related activities while filming monarch Season 2 So was learning lines and writing speeches at the same time juggling?
Actually I didn’t write any letters. There was the idea of, “Well, if I go there, maybe I’d like to thank these people,” but I never wrote anything down because I didn’t want to get too excited about it. I was really nervous. This was my first time experiencing any type of reward. But going back and forth between shooting[[monarch Season 2]and the events were great to attend. It was nice to experience those big events and then come back to a family-like staff where I could just be me.
I’ve been very busy with the release Shogun By the time I got back monarch Season two. Did it take you a minute to find Kate Randa again?
We spent six or seven months filming the first season, so I found it easy to get back into it. I looked through all the notes I had written and added to them. So playing Cate now is a little more familiar than it was in season one.
Kate has a lot of scenes this season with her grandmother, Keiko, who missed out on nearly 60 years of her life while being stuck inside the Axis Mundi for just 57 days. How strange was it for you and Mary Yamamoto to play out this dynamic when your real ages clearly didn’t match the grandmother-granddaughter dynamic? Did you joke about how unusual it is?
(He laughs.) Yes, this does happen very often. We were like, “Oh my God, we’re sharing scenes now.” I respect Mary very much. She’s a beautiful actress, and all the scenes we shared were so vulnerable and real. So it was weird to think about, but it became so natural when it came to his acting.
I don’t think Kate looks at Kiko and thinks, “Oh, that’s my grandmother. She should be older.” It’s like having a mother figure/role model that you really look up to. Keiko has the courage she doesn’t have, and she has this passion for these monsters – the same monsters that Kate has [previously] He was afraid of. So it’s surreal that she thinks of Keiko as her grandmother, but more like her best friend who she really respects and wants to be like. So being able to collaborate with her role model is very inspiring for Kate.
Kate had a lot of trauma to deal with in Season 1, and was only added to it in Season 2 after organizing a rescue party for her. Kurt RussellWhat?
She carries a lot of guilt from G-Day. When she finally meets Shaw, she feels like he is the first man in her life to show up and keep his word. Her father [Takehiro Hira’s Hiroshi] It was never that for her. Therefore, she has another layer of guilt when Shaw tries to save her [at the end of season one]and she pulls him down [to Axis Mundi again] Because she’s trying to hold on to him. This turns into an incentive to return and find it in Axis Mundi [after he seemingly sacrificed himself in the season one finale]. I finally found this purpose of trying to do something instead of always running away, so that was really interesting to explore.
She successfully rescues Shaw, but her effort accidentally unleashes Titan X on Earth. I’ve seen it written elsewhere, so I think it’s safe to say that this is the beginning of a very unique story between man and beast.
Yes, she’s trying to figure out what Titan X is and what she can do now that she’s unleashed this titan. It’s not easy. No one understands it, and she has lost her gut feeling. After the first season, we definitely see that she starts to feel differently about these monsters. Other people might maim these monsters, but she’s starting to care about them now. So we’ll explore more of that this season.
I really feel for Kate’s mother in San Francisco. First, her husband disappears and is presumed dead. Then she finds out that he lived a double life with another nuclear family in Japan. Then Kate disappears for two years without a trace.
It’s a lot for Kate’s mother, yes. There’s still a lot going on for Kate, too. On top of discovering that her father had another family, she now has to deal with the fact that she has a new brother [Ren Watabe’s Kentaro] She got with him for another two years while she was at Axis Mundi. So it’s very complicated. She can’t bring it up Kintaro or her father because it seems that contact has almost been lost. So she has to rely on Keiko because she understands the feeling of wasting time and also asks the question: “What do we do now with what is in front of us?”
The Randatts are brokenhearted. They’re all caught up in these complicated romantic entanglements. Kate didn’t know her father was living a double life when she was living a double life. Hiroshi also doesn’t know that his mother had feelings for Bill Randa (Anders Holm). and Lee (Wyatt Russell) in the 1950s. Maybe Kintaro has his own drama this year. What do you think of this family style?
(He laughs.) that it complicated. It’s about being human and sometimes you make bad decisions. But when you make a certain decision, it will affect your family and other relationships. So, this season, we really learn that there are consequences when making these choices.
To explain the previous Kleenex reference, I was the first journalist to ask you about it Shogun And then make you cry for him Shogun. When you wrapped this series, you thought you were wrapping a limited series, but now it’s an ongoing series. Are you feeling any FOMO now that Friends is starting Season 2?
I just received a text message from Hiromi Kamata. I directed on Shogun Season one and monarch Season one/two. She sent me a picture, and it was a poster of Mariko by the window. And she was like, “We miss you.” So, yeah, I miss the whole team a lot because it was such a meaningful show for me. But my character’s path ended in the best way, and now people miss me. So, in that sense, it couldn’t be better.
I don’t have any information, but I bet we’ll see Mariko again one way or another. if Fast x I can find a way to show your image on the screen, I trust it ShogunStorytellers.
(He laughs.) Yes, that would be fun. It will be a surprise. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m also very excited to see season two.
Maybe you were the first journalist to ask you about it ShogunBut I’m certainly not the first person to ask you about it The Beatles – a four-film cinematic event. I assume that every film will be viewed with a perspective like monarch Done with G-Day of 2014 GodzillaBut how would you describe your filming experience so far?
There’s so much I can’t talk about, but it feels surreal to say [Yoko Ono’s] The story because it’s something I’ve wanted to tell for a long time. Seeing all the actors come together and make up The Beatles on the set of Not From This Time is pretty cool. I see [fictional versions of] Everyone I’ve been watching in documentaries and videos, and I really feel like I’m experiencing that in real life. So the energy is great, and the people in it are very talented. I have a very good feeling about it.
I also shot a David Leitch action film with Nicholas Hoult. Were you very surprised at Nick’s filming? How to rob a bank On one leg?[[Author’s Note: Holt tore his ACL while playing basketball, but postponed repairing it for a promotion Superman And star in Leitch’s next film.]
I was really surprised and very worried, but he did a great job. He was rolling around, doing a lot of stunts and walking around. It never showed, but I know he had surgery [afterwards in October 2025]. He’s just a great actor and a great person. So I’m not surprised that he was able to do it because he’s Nick Holt.
You also have a great A24 film on your CV now. Every actor wants one of these.
I know.
How was it? Enemies With Austin Butler and Jeremy Allen White?
Enemies It was great. It’s unlike any film I’ve been in, and it’s very, very cinematic. It looked so amazing, and the energy was so mysterious. It’s very special. I don’t know how much is out there, so I can’t talk much about it. I’m sorry, again. But this will likely look very different from what we see now in 2026.
Let’s close monarch. Years from now, when you think about filming Season 2, which day will you likely remember first?
Oh my gosh, there’s a very special scene we have. It’s an emotionally heavy scene in episode five or six, and I just remember the actors getting together to do multiple rehearsals. We were all surprised when we read it, but I thought it was beautiful. Jeff King, who directed the episode, is an amazing director. He was very sensitive to energy, so it was a great combination. I can’t talk much about this yet, but I’m very excited for people to see it.
Well, I’m glad I didn’t make you cry a third time.
I was close to this last question. I feel emotional easily. I need to solve it.
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Monarch: Legacy of Monsters It currently streams new episodes every Friday on Apple TV.
