Emmys spotlight: Fumi Nikaido is a captivating presence in ‘Shōgun’
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Fumi Nikaido could be one of several “Shōgun” stars who go on to earn Emmy nominations for their career-best work in the FX series.
Adapted from James Clavell‘s 1975 historical book of the same name, Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks’ limited series follows multiple factions all vying for control over the five Regents in Japan at the end of the 16th century. Meanwhile, a British sailor (Cosmo Jarvis) begins a brand new life after becoming shipwrecked in Japan and entering the service of Hiroyuki Sanada‘s Lord Yoshii Toranaga.
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Jarvis and Sanada are both competing for lead actor nominations and so, too, is Anna Sawai. Nikaido, meanwhile, is one of several supporting players who are looking for an Emmy citation for their work on the show. Nikaido plays Ochiba no Kata, a consort of the Japanese leader Taikō (Taikō’s death is the incident that triggers the five Regents power struggle and the beginning of the show itself).
Ochiba is the mother of the heir to the Taikō, making her most similar to Lena Headey‘s Queen Regent Cersei Lannister in “Game of Thrones.” In fact, there are similarities there. Both characters are beautiful, feared, ruthless, calculating, and will do anything to keep their prized son safe. Nikaido plays this brilliantly, using her natural beauty almost as a weapon while she possesses a captivating on-screen presence that consumes every room she is in, befitting the character.
Our current predicted lineup of Emmy nominees for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actress consists of Jennifer Jason Leigh (“Fargo”), Kali Reis (“True Detective: Night Country”), Diane Lane (“Feud: Capote vs the Swans”), Aja Naomi King (“Lessons in Chemistry”), Sandra Oh (“The Sympathizer”), Fiona Shaw (“True Detective: Night Country”), and Chloë Sevigny (“Feud: Capote vs the Swans”). Nikaido is on the precipice of cracking this lineup, however, alongside fellow competitors Andrea Riseborough (“The Regime”), Dakota Fanning (“Ripley”), Lily Gladstone (“Under the Bridge”), Calista Flockhart (“Feud: Capote vs the Swans”), and Nikaido’s co-star Moeka Hoshi (“Shōgun”).
You might think that the fact that Nikaido and Hoshi are competing against one another for a nomination could potentially hurt one or both of their chances. In fact, it’s the other way around. They could both propel the other to a nomination together as Emmy voters have proven that they like nominating two women from the same show in the same year in this category. Recent examples include Annaleigh Ashford and Juliette Lewis (“Welcome to Chippendales”), Mare Winningham and Kaitlyn Dever (“Dopesick”), Phillipa Soo and Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”), and Julianne Nicholson and Jean Smart (“Mare of Easttown”). In fact, 2022 saw five women nominated for “The White Lotus” in this category: Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton, Alexandra Daddario, Natasha Rothwell, and Sydney Sweeney. The last time this category didn’t feature at least one instance of two or more actresses from the same show earning nominations was all the way back in 2013. Nikaido and Hoshi could be the latest duo to both earn bids for their shows.
This is also a good category for Nikaido — she is looking to earn her first nomination and this category often nominates first-timers. Recent such nominees include Camila Morrone (“Daisy Jones & the Six”), Maria Bello (“Beef”), Ashford (“Welcome to Chippendales”), Dever (“Dopesick”), Daddario (“The White Lotus”), and Moses Ingram (“The Queen’s Gambit”).
Nikaido also has some status already as a rising star. Variety named her an “International Star You Should Know” in 2014 while, in the same year, the New York Asian Film Festival awarded her as their International Rising Star. A decade on, Nikaido has built on that reputation in Japan as one of the most sought-after ingenues of her generation. That international ingenue aspect could help her to a nomination in the same way that HoYeon Jung turned her similar status as a model-turned-up-and-coming young actress into Emmy success with a Best Drama Supporting Actress bid for “Squid Game.” Besides, Emmy voters like ingenues in Nikaido’s potential category with recent such nominees including Dever (“Dopesick”), Daddario (“The White Lotus”), Sweeney (“The White Lotus”), Margaret Qualley (“Fosse/Verdon”), Letitia Wright (“Black Museum (Black Mirror)”), and Shailene Woodley (“Big Little Lies”).
Plus, Nikaido is starring in a historical drama. Voters like that genre in this category, with recent nominees such as Soo (“Hamilton”), Goldsberry (“Hamilton”), Holland Taylor (“Hollywood”), Sara Bareilles (“Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert”), Merrit Weaver (“Godless”), and Winningham (“Hatfields & McCoys”) all earning bids for historical shows.
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