Earning the title of ‘cinematic legend’ is no mean feat.
Among the many actors who strive to make it in showbusiness, just a small fraction manage to climb their way to the top, earning accolades and acclaim galore.
There are some who deserve to be regarded as household names. Those bursting with talent, who – for some unfathomable reason – are not placed on a high enough pedestal.
The iconic Hiroyuki Sanada, who currently stars as one of the leads in the spectacular FX and Disney Plus TV series Shōgun, is one of those people.
Shōgun is inspired by the 1970s novel of the same name by James Clavell, which was previously adapted into a mini-series in the 1980s.
In the latest version of the story, Sanada commands armies as the formidable Lord Yoshii Toranaga, a character inspired by the real-life warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu, who changed the course of Japan’s history during the country’s feudal era in the 17th century.
Toranaga is a force to be reckoned with in Shōgun – and never one to be underestimated (Picture: Kurt Iswarienko/FX)
Since its launch in February this year, Shōgun has received widespread critical acclaim from audiences and critics alike, as well as clocking up millions of views.
On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a critics’ approval rating of 99% and a 93% audience score – percentages that are extremely rare to achieve.
The series, which has been hailed as a ‘masterpiece’, brought in nine million views across the globe on various streaming platforms in the first six days of its availability, beating the highly popular second season of Jeremy Allen White’s The Bear.
The show has been applauded for its sweeping fight sequences, compelling drama and magnificent performances – with much of the praise being awarded to Sanada.
Those who have been following the 63-year-old’s career will already be aware that he is held in extremely high esteem by his fans and peers.
So why has it taken this long for him to finally be cast in a big-budget, blockbuster, leading Hollywood role, where he also serves as a producer?
Frankly, our minds are boggled.
Sanada, seen here promoting 47 Ronin, also starred opposite Keanu Reeves in John Wick 4 (Picture: AFP Photo/Toru Yamanaka via Getty Images)
Having been acting since he was a child in the 1960s, Sanada rose the ranks as an action heavyweight, training in martial arts from a very young age before starring in the Japanese film Shogun’s Samurai in 1978.
In the 1980s, his career propelled him into action cinema in Japan and Hong Kong, gaining international attention through his role in the 1998 film Ring, a supernatural horror that became a cult classic.
Shortly afterwards, he was cast in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of King Lear, for which he received an honorary MBE in 2002 for his ‘contribution to spreading British culture in Japan’.
In the years since, Sanada has become even more of a familiar face on the small and big screen.
Sanada’s film The Last Samurai, also starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe, came out in 2003 (Picture: KMazur/WireImage)
He also went up against Hugh Jackman in the 2013 movie The Wolverine (Picture: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
He faced off against Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine, showed off his stellar skills in John Wick 4, was struck down by Jeremy Renner in Avengers: Endgame, and recently was a part of the impressive ensemble cast in the high-octane Bullet Train.