New Zealand-born, Tokyo-based actress Anna Sawai stars in Shogun. Photo: DISNEY+

LOS ANGELES – Could Japanese rising star Anna Sawai beat Hollywood veterans Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon to win Best Actress in a Drama Series at the Emmys on September 15?

Nominated for her role as Lady Mariko in Shogun (2024), the Disney+ historical drama set in feudal Japan, Sawai is considered by many to be the front runner for the award.

Shogun also leads the pack in 2024 with 25 Emmy nominations in total, including for Best Drama Series – making it the second non-English-language show after South Korea’s Squid Game (2021 to present) to be recognised in this category.

Sawai’s competition includes American actresses Aniston and Witherspoon, who are both nominated for The Morning Show (2019 to present), a satirical comedy drama on Apple TV+ in which they play hosts of a news programme. Both were nominated in this category before, but did not win.

Aniston and Sawai attended events in Los Angeles in June to promote their shows – which have both been renewed for more seasons – among Emmy voters, prior to the July 17 announcement of 2024’s Emmy nominees.

Sawai, 32, spoke of the challenges of adapting author James Clavell’s iconic 1975 work of historical fiction, Shogun, which is set in the 1600s and was inspired by historical figures. The Straits Times/ANN