Anna Sawai wins Emmy for Lead Actress; becomes the first Asian actor to win the award

The actress won for her outstanding performance in a drama series for Shogun.

Actor Anna Sawai made history by becoming the first Asian to win an Emmy Award for Lead Actress. The actor is on cloud nine after receiving the prestigious honor for her outstanding work in a drama series for Shogun, which received 25 nominations at the Emmy Awards 2024.

Anna Sawai wins the Best Drama Actress Emmy award.

Annai Sawai won the Best Drama Actress Emmy Award, becoming the first Asian actor to win this award. She played Mariko in the show. She accepted the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award for Shogun onstage during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 15, 2024, in Los Angeles, California.

Anna Sawai beat out fellow nominees.

The Asian actor bagged the prestigious award for her powerful performance in Shogun as Mariko. With her big win, she beat out fellow nominees Jennifer Aniston (Apple TV’s ‘The Morning Show’), Carrie Coon (HBO’s ‘The Gilded Age’), Maya Erskine (Amazon’s ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’), Imelda Staunton (Netflix’s ‘The Crown’) and Reese Witherspoon (Apple TV’s ‘The Morning Show’).

Anna becomes emotional after accepting the award.

In her acceptance speech, Anna Sawai said, “Thank you, John Landgraf and the whole FX team, for believing in our story. Thank you, Justin and Rachel, for believing in me and giving me this role of a lifetime. Lastly, thank you to my team and my family. Mom, I love you. You are the reason I’m here. You showed me stoicism, and that’s how I could portray it. This is to all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone.”

This was Sawai’s first Emmy nomination and first win. With 25 nominations, Shogun became the most nominated series of this year at the Emmys, as reported by Variety.