Samurai drama Shōgun explores what happens when an English sailor named John Blackthorne (Peaky Blinders star Cosmo Jarvis) lands in Japan in 1600, right as the country is on the cusp of civil war.
Initially captured and imprisoned on the charge of piracy, Blackthorne is granted a reprieve of sorts when Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Westworld's Hiroyuki Sanada) realises that he could prove a useful ally in his struggle against arch rival Ishido Kazunari (Giri/Haji's Takehiro Hira) — and Blackthorne begins to learn the ways of the samurai.
Adapted from James Clavell's 1975 novel, which is itself based on the true story of English navigator William Adams, the 10-part series is a fictionalized version of real historical events, and we caught up with stars Cosmo and Takehiro to find out more...
Shōgun interview with Cosmo Jarvis and Takehiro Hira
How are we introduced to your characters at the start of the series?
Cosmo: "Blackthorne is an English sailor, specifically a pilot responsible for navigation aboard a Dutch ship, which is not faring too well. He's a Protestant, and because of the relationship between the Protestants and the Catholics at the time, and because the Catholic forces, Spain and Portugal, already have a pretty significant foothold in Japan, he represents a new presence in this kingdom. Subsequently he is taken prisoner, and he has to navigate, very carefully, the people whose custody he is in. He has to learn how not to get killed!"
Takehiro: "Ishido is a political opponent of Toranaga, and he comes from a very humble background — he was born in a peasant's family, as opposed to Toranaga being born in the clan of samurais. For Ishido to move up the ladder in Japanese feudalism was really difficult, it was practically impossible back then, so I guess a lot of his ruthlessness and his indignation, his anger towards Toranaga comes from that. I didn't want to make him a villain — he has his reasons for the way he is!"
How much did you already know about this period of Japanese history, and what research did you do?
Cosmo: "I did a lot of research in the beginning — to be honest, a lot of it was taken up by just trying to garner a general knowledge of the geopolitical environment of the time, just because I was very ignorant about it and my history isn't great! I hadn't really seen that period, specifically in Japan, represented in this way before, particularly in the intersection between the Catholics and the Protestants and the Lutherans of the time, and all of their seafaring exploits and how they culminated in a lot of different people from different places all arriving with different motivations on this island. That was pretty interesting!"
Takehiro: "I actually played many samurai characters back in Japan — Ishido is actually modelled after [historical figure] Ishida Mitsunari, and I played his right-hand man, so I know that period and these characters pretty well. It's a really popular story in Japan. I intentionally didn't read the book, because I know the history and I didn't know if reading the book would have helped or hindered me from creating something new, so I tried to follow the script and make something new for this show."
Blackthorne is involved in a huge storm at sea in the first episode. What was that like to film?
Cosmo: "That was crazy! The special effects and the production design teams had manufactured these incredible kinetic sets to assist in the portrayal of these fantastic conditions. I had never seen any sets like that before, so that was quite something. I don't want to say it was 'fun', but it was intense, in the best possible way!"
Both your characters are quite isolated at the start of the series. What relationships do they form as the story develops?
Takehiro: "I'm glad you brought that up, because as I said, he came from a humble beginning and it was really rare at the time for someone with a peasantry background to move up the ladder, so I feel like there is nobody around who understands him, you know? I think he was a really lonely person and probably didn't like many people in that society. He's really loyal to his former boss, because he himself came from a peasant's background, and he was the only one who can relate, I think."
Cosmo: "Blackthorne's relationships aren't ones that he chose to have, they're relationships that he was thrust into at the beginning, and the parameters of those relationships morphs as his status also changes. He begins as a very subservient prisoner, but then, through his tact or his wits, he finds himself in what seems to be a more favorable position. As that happens, the people who were his keepers become his acquaintances, then his friends and then people he respects tremendously. The relationships are in a constant state of flux throughout the entire show."
Was it helpful to have 10 episodes to tell the story? Did that give you lots of room to develop your characters?
Cosmo: "Yes, it was really good. It was very useful for me, from an acting perspective, to be responsible for the portrayal of one man for so long. It was an 11 month shoot, and through that there was a sort of familiarity with him that I've not really had in such a fluent way before. It was really good working with the directors, who had their own ideas about where he was going, and exploring those areas with them. Even though I knew from the book where it was going, I didn't know how it was going to get there. To be honest, it didn't feel like a load of episodes, it felt like one large journey."
Takehiro: "Yes, it was a really great honour to be a part of this project and work with Western directors from all over the world, and bring in a new aspect of samurai drama. A lot of times, when you play a samurai movie, you tend to follow the style of the period, but I didn't want to fall into that trap, so I was open to any suggestions. I enjoyed it a lot!"
You filmed the series in Vancouver — what was it like to recreate feudal-era Japan in present-day Canada?
Cosmo: "I didn't see a lot of Vancouver because I was working a lot, but the Canadian crew that we had were unbelievable. They were so good, and we all became an incredibly well-lubricated unit, especially towards the end. Lovely people!"
Takehiro: "I've filmed two other shows in Vancouver, so it's like my second home now! It was a great collaboration, and the crew showed so much respect for our culture and tried to be authentic in every aspect. It was really impressive the way they dealt with the translation, dialogue, costume, mannerisms, everything. They were really thorough!"
- Shōgun premieres on February 27. The first two episodes will be immediately available, with one epsiode then premiering weekly.
- The show is going to have a day-and-date global streaming launch, meaning it'll premiere on Hulu in the US, Star Plus in Latin America and Disney Plus in the UK and all other territories at the same time.
- For US viewers not subscribed to Hulu, the FX cable channel is going to air new episodes once a week.
