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Spoilers forShogunepisode seven, A Stick of Time.
Shogunis all about what transcends culture and what stays firmly in its own fief.
But alas, he was never a player; he just got played.
With this giant whoopsie, Nagakado joins the failson canon alongsideArrested DevelopmentsGob Bluth andSuccessionsKendall Roy.
Having a death scene thats so plausible, does that get in your head?
They have slippery areas, so I tend to be more careful in those areas after this experience.
Have you died onscreen before?
There is a sort of awkward silliness in that, but at the same time, its very real.
Its certainly the most impactful one that Ive experienced.
Shogunreally undercuts a lot of traditional grand narratives.
It doesnt do the heroic moves.
Whats that like as a performer?Its quite complex.
I read the book, obviously.
There were a lot of things that were difficult to understand with just one read.
The fact that all these complex elements come together in one piece is quite wonderful.
Do you feel like thats fair?Yes, and its great that theres excitement around the show.
What was going through Nagakados mind as he died?
That frustration led him to, of course, that action at the very end of episode seven.
He clearly craved some emotional intimacy with his father.
There was a great deal of love.
Did working on this show change your relationship to communicating with other people?
Canada has this massive land.
A very realistic, authentic Japan was created in Vancouver and that was very impressive.
It was a very big first step for me personally.
It was my very first time being abroad, working on a non-Japanese, international show.
So it was very interesting to learn about different systems of filmmaking.
Especially with the horse team.
They were always eating poutine.
Lets talk about the sword training.
Nagakado may be a failson, but hes still pretty good at beheading people.
I brought a bamboo sword, and I would always be practicing.
Sanada-san, often when I was shooting he would give advice or adjust my positions.
Not only that, but when there was free time, he would help train me.
It was such a fortunate and wonderful experience to have him help me train.
In American film schools, were taught that jidaigeki is almost like American cowboy movies.
Acting in this, theres so many technical elements, which could be called constraints, especially important gestures.
Its almost a different sport compared to contemporary TV.
It coagulates, and once you do the first pass, your second cut wouldnt be as sharp.
So if you really think about it, more likely those battles were a lot more hand-to-hand.
Its not as clean and beautiful as it is often portrayed.
It felt like it really suits me, being in nature, being in touch with the horses.
It really helped me, mentally, to be able to relax.
Its also helped me physically.
I felt like I was in better shape.
Thats something I would like to continue.
So not falconry, then.Kowai.
Translator: The bird was scary.
Oh, I know whatkowaimeans.[Laughs.]
The bird was very smart and very well behaved.
But yeah, still a little bit scary.
Because she eats raw meat.
This interview has been edited for content and clarity.
