Legacy of Monsters Star Reveals the Real-Life Inspiration for Her Character’s Godzilla PTSD
Anna Sawai might not have experienced a kaiju attack before, but the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters actor drew inspiration from a similar real-world disaster to understand that headspace.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sawai revealed that her personal experiences during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake were a key influence on Cate Randa’s PTSD and guilt over losing people in her care during Godzilla’s San Francisco battle. “I didn’t lose family, but so many Japanese people lost important people to them,” she said, adding, “I also couldn’t live in my neighborhood, because the water had stopped and we had no food coming in.”
This G-Day trauma ultimately proves the catalyst for Cate’s father Hiroshi disappearing and Cate eventually discovering his secret family in Tokyo, as well as his true job with Monarch. On how she approached those shocking revelations, Sawai noted that she has “personal relationships that really feel similar to what she has, but I’ve never experienced anything close to a half-brother. So I just imagined how devastating it would be if my parents had another family, and how I’d deal with that.” The actor also touched upon parallels between Cate and Hiroshi in Monarch‘s latest episode, which revealed Cate’s own unfaithfulness toward her girlfriend Dani before G-Day’s events.
Per Sawai, this struggle to stay committed “comes from her dad not being there enough and then eventually leaving her. Anyone who’s experienced something like that will hold onto those family issues. So, if you see that, then you’re going to do that to the person that’s coming to you. It’s not necessarily because you want to do that, but it’s because that’s almost your safe place.”
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Introduces the Scariest Titan Since King Ghidorah
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ third episode unveils a terrifying new Titan that throws back to the fear factor of the three-headed King Ghidorah.
Monarch is the latest addition to Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse franchise, with other releases including the Netflix anime Skull Island and upcoming sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Set after the events of 2014’s Godzilla, Monarch also doubles as a loose sequel to 2017’s Kong Skull Island, with Cate and her half-brother Kentaro being descendants of John Goodman’s Monarch official William Randa (played in flashbacks by Anders Holm), and pursuing Monarch’s secrets with the help of their grandfather’s ex-military contact Lee Shaw. While Kurt Russell portrays present-day Shaw, his son Wyatt Russell played Shaw’s younger self opposite Randa and scientist Keiko Miura, with both actors admitting they were drawn to the opportunity of playing one character at separate points in time
Anna Sawai Can Be Seen in FX’s Shōgun
Both showrunner Chris Black and executive producer Matt Fraction have expressed interest in renewing Monarch for season 2, though they acknowledged it will ultimately depend on fan interest. Sawai’s next role, meanwhile, will be the in the FX drama Shōgun opposite Hiroyuki Sanada and Cosmo Jarvis, which is set for a February 2024 release.
New Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episodes stream Fridays on Apple TV+.
Source: THR
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Set after the battle between Godzilla and the Titans, revealing that monsters are real, follows one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to Monarch.
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Creator
- Chris Black, Matt Fraction
- Cast
- Anna Sawai , Kiersey Clemons , Ren Watabe , Wyatt Russell , Kurt Russell
- Main Genre
- Action
- Genres
- Sci-Fi , Adventure
- Rating
- TV-14
- Seasons
- 1 Season
- Production Company
- Legendary Television, Safehouse Pictures, Toho Company, Warner Bros. Discovery
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