Anna Sawai is fulfilling her dream by playing Yoko Ono in the upcoming Beatles films.
The Japanese actress, who is best known for her award-winning role in Shogun, has always wanted to tell the Japanese artist and musician's story, and the opportunity came to her sooner than she expected.
"It was my dream to tell her story and I didn't think it would come this quick," she told Variety about being cast as John Lennon's widow. "There's a version of her I feel people still don't understand. And in this film, I think we're going to be able to tell that side of the story."
To prepare for the role, Sawai has been reading all the books and articles and watching all the videos she can, and looking at Ono's artwork.
Sawai, who started her career in a Japanese girl band, added that she's been watching her co-stars Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan perform the Fab Four's music on set in London.
"They're not even looking at the sheet music anymore. They can just play it off and sing it, and it really sounds like the Beatles to me. It feels surreal," she praised.
Each chapter in The Beatles - A Four-Film Cinematic Event will focus on a different band member, with Dickinson playing Ono's husband John Lennon alongside Mescal as Paul McCartney, Quinn as George Harrison and Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
In addition to Sawai, Morfydd Clark has been cast as Lennon's first wife Cynthia, alongside Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Aimee Lou Wood as Harrison's first wife, model Pattie Boyd, and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Starr's first wife, Maureen Starkey.
In a separate interview with People, the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters actress explained what it's been like playing Ono so far.
"It's just exciting because (Ono's) story is so inspirational to me, and people really don't know the true person that she was," she said. "She's an incredible artist. And also, she just was an independent woman and people didn't like that. They wanted John for themselves and she was an easy target. And I think it's very meaningful for me to be able to tell her story."
The four biopics will be released simultaneously in cinemas on 7 April 2028.
