How to Get Cast on ‘Shōgun’

Based on Clavell’s 1975 novel, “Shōgun” depicts the lives of two men—John Blackthorne and Lord Yoshii Toranaga—as worlds collide when the former, an English pilot, finds himself shipwrecked on the shores of the “daimyo’s” Japan. With the island nation in upheaval over a decades-long struggle to decide the next “shōgun” (commander in chief), Blackthorne becomes a critical weapon in Toranaga’s fight against his political rivals, as the pilot brings secrets that could defeat both their enemies. Through a translator, the disgraced Toda Mariko, the two men soon find their fates are forever intertwined as they work together to achieve their common goal. Blackthorne and Mariko’s growing affection complicates matters, however, as she must reconcile her family’s demons with her present circumstances—to catastrophic results. According to FX, Season 2’s 10-year time jump will examine how Blackthorne’s and Toranaga’s lives have changed since the Season 1 finale and how the two remain inextricably linked.

“Shōgun” Season 1 featured:

• Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga 
• Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne
• Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko
• Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige
• Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari
• Tommy Bastow as Father Martin Alvito
• Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba No Kata
• Nestor Carbonell as Vasco Rodrigues
• Tokuma Nishioka as Toda “Iron Fist” Hiromatsu
• Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi
• Yasunari Takeshima as Tonomoto Akinao/Muraji
• Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji
• Yuki Kura as Yoshii Nagakado
• Hiromoto Ida as Lord Kiyama
• Toshi Toda as Lord Sugiyama
• Takeshi Kurokawa as Ohno Harunobu
• Hiro Kanagawa as Igarashi Yoshimito
• Sen Mars as Nakamura Yaechiyo
• Yuki Kedoin as Takemaru
• Nobuya Shimamoto as Nebara Jozen
• Yutaka Takeuchi as Akechi Jinsai 
• Shinnosuke Abe as Toda “Buntaro” Hirokatsu
• Paulino Nunes as Father Dell’Aqua

So far, the creative team has only confirmed Sanada—its star and co-producer—and Jarvis will return for Season 2, joining Kondo, Marks, and executive producer Michaela Clavell. Spoiler alert: As the storyline dictates, Sawai likely won’t reprise her award-winning role as Mariko. All other casting details remain under wraps at this time.

Carrie Audino and Laura Schiff (“Mad Men”) served as the main American casting directors on “Shōgun” Season 1, while Colleen Bolton and Maureen Webb (“Fire Country”) were the heads of Canadian casting, and Kei Kawamura (“Ready Player One”) was in charge of Japanese casting.

As Audino told us, “I feel like that’s a huge portion of our job, to have a database of actors, either in our head or in our computer,” to which Schiff added, “If we had to start from scratch not remembering anyone, every episode or every pilot or every movie, we would not be able to do our jobs. Our biggest tool is our memory of actors.” Thus, actors can expect a welcoming environment should they ever find themselves in their audition room.

“[T]hey can expect to walk into a room where we’re going to be on their side. If we see a reason to help them through it and give them notes, we will,” Audino noted. “Actors think back to all those times they got no notes, and it doesn’t mean it went wrong or it went poorly, it means that you weren’t, maybe, right for it. It maybe means you’ve nailed it and there are no notes, it could mean a lot of different things. I try and be as communicative as possible, without ever tearing anyone down. Often I read people that I like for things, and I don’t give a note, or I often do take notes. Don’t read too much into any of it.”

As Jarvis told GQ, the casting process consisted of numerous self-tapes. But even then, he did not have too much insight into his character prior to landing his role. “The auditions were self-tapes and they were only based on a couple of scenes, so when I did those, it was just more of a case of figuring out how to just play the scenes,” Jarvis shared. “But then the actual sort of work began as soon as I was offered employment. I began the process of figuring out and exploring various ways of executing Blackthorne.”

But when it came to casting the demanding role of Mariko, Marks was worried they’d never find the right person—until they found Sawai. “We couldn’t just cast someone OK for this part, it had to be someone extraordinary. The problem is, we didn’t know what extraordinary was. You just know it when you see it,” Marks told the Los Angeles Times. “When we saw it in the form of Anna, we saw someone who brought a modernity” to the role, he added. “Someone who could approach it from a place where she’s playing a humanity beneath the surface of the text [that] we needed for Mariko to work.” Marks also noted Sawai’s “layer of contemporary attitude,” which helped her establish Mariko as a sympathetic character.

Sawai told TV Guide she was specifically looking for a role that would scare her, but shortly after beginning production, she felt overwhelmed. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so tired and I don’t know who I am anymore,’ ” she told her agent while filming “Shōgun.” “They were like, ‘But you said you wanted something that scares you?’ ” she added, to which Sawai responded, “You’re absolutely right.”

FX and Hulu announced “Shōgun” Seasons 2 and 3 were on the horizon in May 2024, but production has not yet started. Previously designated a limited series, “Shōgun” will resume production in Vancouver in January 2026. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Kondo and Marks wrapped the writers’ room for the next installment, indicating that the story will expand upon the source material.

There are no open casting calls for “Shōgun” Seasons 2 or 3 at this time. Because of the show’s popularity and success, roles are likely in high demand. We suggest seeking representation if you haven’t yet done so. (Here’s how you can land an acting agent.) We also recommend bookmarking our main casting page for updates on the latest casting notices as they become available. Our guide on how to audition for Hulu might also come in handy.

Education serves as the gateway to your dreams: Having made the transition from Japanese films to the American screen, Sanada credits taking a chance for his international success. Although he’d not yet mastered English at age 40, Sanada accepted a role in “King Lear” on the London stage—and it opened his eyes. “I learned that mixing cultures to make something new that no one has ever seen before is so difficult; but it’s important, and it’s interesting,” Sanada told Backstage. “If I didn’t have that experience in London, I wouldn’t have taken an audition for an international project like ‘The Last Samurai,’ ” he said. “So, Shakespeare changed my life.” 

That’s why he now advises young actors to familiarize themselves with the language. “[Speaking] English is very important; it’s a license to working [in Hollywood],” he noted. But his advice extends beyond that, as he added, “Just be yourself, and believe in yourself. Never give up; that’s the only thing I can say.” 

Avoid forcing emotions that do not feel authentic: For Sawai, learning from Sanada’s decades in the business has become an invaluable tool for her own growth as an actor. Sawai told Esquire Sanada had bestowed her with many wise words she’d prefer to keep private, but there was one piece of advice she shared that any actor can apply to both their auditions and their actual performances.

“[W]hen I was struggling in a scene—or I felt like I wasn’t showing enough because Mariko is not allowed to show it, even though as an actor, you want to show your emotions—he told me, ‘That’s exactly what the character’s going through, so just let it be. Don’t try to force anything that’s not coming out. The more that you try to conceal it, the more interesting it might be,’ ” Sawai shared. “I’ve learned from that, and I try not to push too hard if it doesn’t feel right.”

There’s no harm in having a bad day: Audino knows audition rooms can be a high-stress environment, but actors need not worry about a less-than-stellar performance. CDs can see beyond that. “It’s okay to have a bad day in the room, I can see what an actor is about, that’s my job. It’s okay to mess up words, it’s okay to have all those things happen, it doesn’t mean I’m never going to see you again,” she shared with Backstage. “It might be that it didn’t go that well and I’m not going to consider you for this, but you’re probably going to see me again. There are a lot of roles to be cast, so I don’t just rule people out; I mostly want to include people, to figure out where they’re going to be right, whether it’s something that is big or a totally different character probably, but that’s the essence of what I do.

“Sure. Having an air of professionalism and realizing that it’s a business transaction and that we’re not at some big acting party is super important, and I do think actors, especially inexperienced actors, lose sight of it,” she added. “Yes, this is your moment with me, and you should take advantage of it, you need to be conscious of what’s happening. Read the room; pay attention. There are other people waiting or actors wanting to have massive long conversations. It has nothing to do with how much I like or dislike someone, it just has to do with keeping the day moving forward. I wish I could just chat with everybody, but I cannot.”