Just days before the 2024 Emmys , Anna Sawai has returned to Los Angeles from Australia, where she’s been filming her latest project. A few days prior, at the Creative Arts Emmys, Shōgun —a retelling of the 1975 James Clavell novel, the story of an English sailor who has landed in feudal Japan—took home an impressive 14 trophies and is expected to win big again tonight. Sawai herself is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series.
While Sawai has received heaps of praise for her role of Lady Mariko, she chose to mark the moment by honoring someone else: her mother. “After finishing Shōgun , I wanted to give my mom a gift just to thank her for allowing me to go the path that I’m on,” Sawai tells Vogue. “I bought her a Cartier Love ring.
I didn’t get one for myself because it is luxury; it was a lot, but I wanted to give the most important person a gift.” For the actor, jewelry is a way to honor important people or memories. “It’s more than just something that you put on—it’s like a memory that you carry with you, and whenever you look down, you’re thinking of that memory,” she says.
With her gift to her mother, Sawai wanted her to be able to look down and feel like she was there with her. “If my mom, you know, looks at the Love ring, I feel like she feels connected to me.” Today, Anna Sawai joins Cartier as their newest brand ambassador.
“It means so much and to be able to work with them,” she says, Zooming in from the car.