Shogun actor ‘moved to tears’ by one emotional scene

Lord Yoshii Toranaga is a powerful character in Shogun, but actor Hiroyuki Sanada has revealed he was moved to tears by one scene.

One of the main leads in Shogun, Lord Yoshii Toranaga is a man of steel, with incredible military prowess. However, it’s been revealed that the same can’t be said behind the scenes, with one moment in particular getting actor Hiroyuki Sanada incredibly emotional.

“The most exciting and tough scene was Hiromatsu’s seppuku,” Sanada told Vulture. “No dialogue, just looking at each other and knowing what the other is thinking. That was challenging, and so dramatic.

“In the scene, there are spies everywhere. We have to disguise this perfectly. It was so hard to remember, ‘Don’t cry.’ But as an actor, it’s hard without the tears. So I tried to show, ‘I’m not crying, I’m angry.’ More anger was the only way to never cry. It was a tough scene, but it was a very ‘Toranagi’ scene: inside, storm, but outside, calm or anger. That balance was very Toranagi.”

Hiromatsu’s seppuku happens in Shogun Episode 8 as they try to convince Torganga not to surrender. By disrespecting a direct order, Hiromatsu commits seppuku, a samurai practice used voluntarily to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies.

However, Sanada revealed that it wasn’t only his scenes that made him emotional during filming.

“I wasn’t in Episode 9, but every day I was on set, supporting Anna [Sawai] in dialogue, movement, everything. I’m so proud of her,” he continued. “And Yuki Kura, the young actor who played my son Nagakado, or Hiroto Kanai, who played Omi — how they drew their swords or how they said a line, with each detail, I went, ‘Oh my goodness, yes, that’s it.’

“Or Moeka Hoshi, who played Fuji — her emotional scenes, her reactions. It was my first experience as a producer, coming to creation from zero. I had that pressure, of course, and those responsibilities, but watching the actors getting better and better was such a happy moment for me.”

Find out if Shogun Season 2 is happening and where to stream it. You can also check out even more amazing TV shows to watch this month.