'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters': Anna Sawai connected to Cate Randa after facing Tōhoku earthquake
The star of the Apple TV+ Godzilla epic recalls being in Japan when the 2011 earthquake hit and shares how that brought the actor closer to her character
You might be surprised to know that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters star Anna Sawai, who's character Cate Randa goes on an emotional personal journey in this Godzilla epic, was actually looking for a lighter project when this series came along.
We initially meet Cate when she travels from the U.S. to Japan, after her father's apparent death, to discover that she has a half-brother she never knew about, Kentaro (Ren Watabe). She's also battling her PTSD from "G-Day," the 2015 Godzilla event Cate experienced as a school teacher.
Watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV+ with 7 days free, then $12.99/month
For Sawai, that trauma that Cate is working through really rang true for the actor.
"I was looking for something more fun originally, but then when I read the character, I related to her in such a deep way," Sawai told Yahoo Canada. "I've also had complex relationships with close people."
"The whole thing about her being traumatized, I've never had anything to that extent, but I was in Japan when the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake hit and whenever I hear a buzzer, I'm always like, 'Oh my God is the same thing going to happen.' ... So I just related to her on a different level."
Under different circumstances, Ren Watabe felt particularly connected to his character, Kentaro, as well.
"I feel like, similar to my character, it all began unexpectedly for me as well," Watabe told Yahoo Canada in a separate interview. "This was my first acting job and I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I was curious."
"There's an analogy between myself and Kentaro in many ways, so I felt a connection. Some of that obvious connection would be that we're both Japanese, authentically Japanese, and that cultural background alone speaks volumes on how someone behaves and acts."
Watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV+ with 7 days free, then $12.99/month
As we approached the final moments of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, before the Godzilla showdown, and a journey to the underground, much of the season was an exploration and development of the relationship between Cate and Kentaro, including the journey to find their father, Hiroshi Randa (Takehiro Hira).
"The relationship starts off ... very sour, but it kind of is that way with anyone, because you don't know them. You don't know their intentions," Sawai said. "Sometimes you're hurt in the past and you feel like the same thing might happen with this person."
"As we were shooting, I also got to know Ren, and so our bond just became stronger. ... I think the human relationships were more easy, what was difficult was [Cate] going from, 'I don't want to be a part of this. I am so hurt and I feel like I failed myself on G-Day, losing my students and not being able to save them.' Going from there and bringing that to, 'I am going to be a part of this and I want to continue the search.' That was a little bit of a transition, mentally."
'Anytime, whether it's a cultural thing or a character thing, they would listen'
For both Watabe and Sawai, they highlighted that co-creators Chris Black and Matt Fraction were particularly collaborative.
"We were consistently having meetings, sitting down and talking about where the character should go," Sawai said. "I think it's amazing because I'm pretty used to her getting a script, knowing how it was going to end going into the first day of shooting, but this one they told me, 'We want to get to know the actors and we want to bring the characters to life through them.'"
"So I didn't know how the story was going to progress and it was just amazing to see that they were so willing to talk about it with us."
"Even for someone like me, who had no experience, very new to this all, ... Chris Black and Matt Fraction were always approachable," Watabe said. "I had in mind to play my character [as] authentic as possible, and anytime, whether it's a cultural thing or a character thing, they would listen."
Where to watch 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters'
Catch up on all 10 episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV+.
