is a New Zealand actress, singer and dancer. She landed her first acting role at age 11 as the titular character in the 2004
Nippon TV
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
production of ''
Annie
Annie may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress
* Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer
The ...
'' shortly after moving to Japan. Sawai later made her film debut as Kiriko in
James McTeigue
James McTeigue (born December 29, 1967) is an Australian film and television director. He has been an assistant director on many films, including '' Dark City'' (1998), the ''Matrix'' trilogy (1999–2003) and '' Star Wars: Episode II – Atta ...
's 2009 neo-noir martial arts film ''
Ninja Assassin
''Ninja Assassin'' is a 2009 neo-noir martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin l ...
''.
Sawai rose to fame in Japan as one of the lead vocalists of the girl group
Faky from 2013 to 2018. She made a return to acting with supporting roles in the Japanese mystery series ''
Colors
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...
'' (2018), and the British crime thriller series ''
Giri/Haji
( ja, 義理/恥, 'Duty/Shame') is a British crime drama television series which premiered on BBC Two in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2019, and was released internationally on Netflix on 10 January 2020. A co-production between the BBC an ...
'' (2019). Her international breakthrough came with the role of Naomi in the
Apple TV+
Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...
drama series
''Pachinko'' (2022–present).
Early life
Anna Sawai was born on June 11, 1992, in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, New Zealand to parents of Japanese descent.
Her mother trained in opera performance and later worked as a piano teacher,
while her father worked for an electronics company.
From age 3, her mother taught her how to play the piano and how to sing.
Her family moved frequently while growing up due to her father's job, living in Hong Kong and the Philippines, before settling in
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
, Japan at age 10.
She has an elder sister, Reina, who is a ballet dancer and
coryphée
A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...
at the
Hong Kong Ballet
The Hong Kong Ballet () is a classical ballet company founded in 1979.
History
The company was created in 1979.
Since 1997, The Hong Kong Ballet has concluded more than 30 tours to 10 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
I ...
company.
Career
Early acting roles and Faky (2004–2018)
In 2004, Sawai made her acting debut at age 11 in a Tokyo stage production of
''Annie'' as the titular character, which was
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
on
Nippon TV
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
.
In 2006, Sawai successfully auditioned for the entertainment conglomerate
Avex Inc.
is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...
, earning her a management contract and training at their in-house music and dance bootcamp.
Following this, Sawai continued her acting career with a minor role in the television drama ''
Our Love Song'' (2007),
and made her
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
feature film debut in a supporting role in
James McTeigue
James McTeigue (born December 29, 1967) is an Australian film and television director. He has been an assistant director on many films, including '' Dark City'' (1998), the ''Matrix'' trilogy (1999–2003) and '' Star Wars: Episode II – Atta ...
's neo-noir martial arts film ''
Ninja Assassin
''Ninja Assassin'' is a 2009 neo-noir martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin l ...
'' (2009), in which she played Kiriko, a rebellious young ninja.
Sawai continued to receive vocal and dancing lessons throughout high school, and later enrolled at
Sophia University
Sophia University (Japanese: 上智大学, ''Jōchi Daigaku''; Latin: ''Universitas Sedis Sapientiae'') is a private research university in Japan. Sophia is one of the three ''Sōkeijōchi'' (早慶上智) private universities, a group of the to ...
.
While attending university, Sawai was transferred to the
Avex Trax record label and in March 2012, she performed the United States national anthem at the
Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
to begin the
2012 Major League Baseball season
The 2012 Major League Baseball season began on March 28 with the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. On November 22, 2011, a new contract between Major League Baseball and ...
. A month later, Sawai was announced as one of the members of the girl group
ARA
ARA may refer to:
Media and the arts
* American-Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences
* '' Artistička Radna Akcija'', compilation album released in former Yugoslavia
* Associate of the Royal Academy, denoting membership in the British Royal Aca ...
, an acronym for Avex Rising Angels, and in November, they released the music video for their debut and only single "Make My Dreams Come True". The group disbanded in early 2013 after less than a year of promotions, but later that year in July, Avex announced that Sawai would be re-debuting as one of the lead vocalists for the girl group
Faky under the
Rhythm Zone
(RZN) is a record label in the Avex Group that releases urban contemporary Japanese music.
History
The label was founded in 1999 by Max Matsuura with a focus on urban music, signing M-Flo as its first artist, then followed by Exile.
In 2000, ...
record label.
They debuted with the single "Better Without You" on July 29, 2013.
While being a member of Faky, Sawai participated in a number of solo projects. In October 2015, she appeared as the lead actress in
Elliott Yamin
Efraym Elliott Yamin ( he, אפרים אליוט ימין; born July 20, 1978) is an American singer known for his hit single " Wait for You" and for placing third on the fifth season of ''American Idol''.
His self-titled album, released Marc ...
's music video for his song "Katy".
Sawai was a featured artist on Yamato's debut single "Shining", alongside fellow bandmate Akina, which was released on April 26, 2017. Later that year, Sawai had a voice role as Angélique Noir in the 2017 fashion
simulation video game
Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...
''
Style Savvy: Styling Star'',
and also performed the main theme song for the game, "Girls Be Ambitious". In 2018, she made a return to acting with a supporting role in the coming-of-age mystery series ''
Colors
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...
'', appearing in two episodes.
In May 2018, she appeared as a dancer in a limited run stage production of ''The Book'' directed by Fuko Takenaka, as part of the Think Tank Bang dance art collective.
On November 16, 2018, Faky announced Sawai's departure from the group, citing her desire to focus on her acting career. She performed with the group for the last time on December 20, as part of their
Four
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
headline tour.
Breakthrough in Hollywood (2019–present)
In 2019, Sawai portrayed Eiko, the daughter of a
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...
boss, in the British crime thriller series ''
Giri/Haji
( ja, 義理/恥, 'Duty/Shame') is a British crime drama television series which premiered on BBC Two in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2019, and was released internationally on Netflix on 10 January 2020. A co-production between the BBC an ...
'', appearing in six episodes.
The series premièred on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
in October to critical acclaim. That same year, Sawai was cast as martial arts warrior
Elle
''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...
in ''
F9'', the ninth film in the
''Fast & Furious'' franchise, directed by
Justin Lin
Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese Americans, Taiwanese-American film director. His films have grossed US$2.3 billion worldwide as of March 2017. He is best known for his directorial work on ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' (2002), the ...
.
Following her casting announcement, Sawai signed with
WME. Filming for ''F9'' took place between June and November 2019, and the film was released on May 19, 2021, to mixed reviews. ''F9'' set several pandemic box office records with worldwide earnings of $726 million,
and Sawai was particularly praised for "holding her own alongside franchise veterans".
Since 2022, Sawai has portrayed the main role of Naomi in the
Apple TV+
Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...
adaptation of
''Pachinko'', based on the
novel of the same name by
Min Jin Lee
Min Jin Lee (born November 11, 1968) is a Korean American author and journalist based in Harlem, New York City. Her work frequently deals with Korean and Korean American topics. She is the author of the novels '' Free Food for Millionaires'' ( ...
. Naomi is an original character created for the series.
The show debuted on March 25, 2022, to critical acclaim; the following month it was renewed for a second season. The ensemble cast of the series won an
Independent Spirit Award
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...
.
Upcoming projects
In September 2021, Sawai was cast as the female lead, Lady Mariko, in the
FX limited series
''Shōgun'', a remake of the
1980 miniseries and based on the
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by
James Clavell
James Clavell (born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell; 10 October 1921 – 7 September 1994) was an Australian-born British (later naturalized American) writer, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. Clavell is best ...
.
The show is set to première in 2023. In June 2022, Sawai was cast as Cate, the lead role in
Legendary
Legendary may refer to:
* Legend, a folklore genre
* Legendary (hagiography)
** Anjou Legendarium
* J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium
Film and television
* ''Legendary'' (film), a 2010 American sports drama film
* ''Legendary'', a 2013 film fea ...
's
MonsterVerse
The MonsterVerse is an American multimedia franchise and shared fictional universe featuring Godzilla, King Kong, and other monster characters owned and created by Toho Co., Ltd. The franchise is produced by Legendary Pictures and co-produced and ...
television series ''
Godzilla and the Titans
''Godzilla and the Titans'' is an upcoming American monster television series created by Chris Black and Matt Fraction. The series is intended to be a part of Warner Bros. and Legendary's MonsterVerse multimedia franchise and shared fictional ...
'', for
Apple TV+
Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...
.
The show is intended to be a spin-off of the 2021 film ''
Godzilla vs. Kong''.
Personal life
Sawai is bilingual in English and Japanese.
She currently resides in Tokyo, Japan.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Video games
Stage credits
Discography
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
*
Anna Sawaiat Filmsleague
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawai, Anna
Living people
1992 births
New Zealand film actresses
New Zealand television actresses
New Zealand stage actresses
New Zealand women pop singers
New Zealand female dancers
New Zealand emigrants to Japan
Japanese-language singers
New Zealand people of Japanese descent
21st-century New Zealand actresses
21st-century New Zealand women singers