Shogun Stunt Coordinator Explains Demanding HIstorically Accurate Fights Over ‘Crazy Hollywood Ninja Stuff’

FX’s Shogun‘s attention to historical details goes beyond its costumes, architecture, and dialogue, as even its fight choreography is historically accurate, says the show’s fight coordinator. Based on the acclaimed novel by James Clavell, Shogun is a 10-episode series exploring the tension in Feudal Japan following the death of the Taiko (ruler), as power-hungry lords battle for control. In between its tense political intrigue and scheming is a bloody, violent spectacle that includes vicious battles and ambushes with cannons.

Lauro Chartrand-DelValle, a veteran stuntman and coordinator, recently sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his work on the show. In the interview, Chartrand-DelValle described working on Shogun as his “dream job”, before discussing how he crafted the intricate, exciting, and historically accurate fights. “We were all about the one cut, one kill,” he said. He then went on to discuss how the show’s dedication to historical accuracy became a major stalling point for one particular fight scene. “The specialists and historians were adamant that [Anna Sawai] couldn’t take big steps,” he said. In episode 9, Mariko (Sawai) faces off against Ishido’s (Takehiro Hira) guards, and her attire became a major problem during shooting. Chartrand-DelValle continued:

“But when you’re in a life-and-death situation, would you shuffle? They would discuss that with us: “Well, they didn’t really have a fear of dying.” They let us take a little bit bigger steps now and again, especially when Mariko really went wild in her fight scene, but only to the extent that nothing would show. If the kimono came open too far, we had to go again.”

Shogun’s Fight Scenes Avoided ‘Crazy Hollywood Ninja Stuff’

Chartrand-DelValle was also asked which scene he was most proud of in the show, and he quickly replied that was the shinobi sequence, also in episode 9. While being held hostage at Ishido’s castle, Mariko and John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) are the targets of an assassination attempt by stealthy ninjas who slaughter their way silently through the castle to reach them. While the scene is utterly cinematic, Chartrand-DelValle was adamant that he wanted to avoid “back flips or crazy Hollywood ninja stuff.” As a result, they had to find a way to make realistic movements appear cinematic. He continued:

“They were there in stealth, and they were there to kill. We had all kinds of great sneaky movement throughout the castle, some quick kills and moving on to the next one. If somebody ran away, they’d catch him with a chain around his neck and pull him down.”

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Strangely, Chartrand-DelValle said that the biggest issue facing the fight choreography was the stunt performers. Having come off other productions, they would often approach him, saying “‘Oh, but Lash, we can do this, and we can do that,'”, but he had to keep them contained to ensure the show’s focus on realism. He continued:

“I’m like, ‘Nope, none of that. Keep your feet on the ground.’ It’s just getting everybody dialed in to the realism and making it stay with the story. The most important thing for us was no gratuitous fighting.”

Despite being developed as a limited series, there is talk of Shogun returning for more seasons in the future. The series hasn’t officially been renewed yet, but FX have assembled a team to begin working on creative ideas for Seasons 2 and 3. Fans are concerned about the show’s future, given that Season 1 adapts the entirety of Clavell’s novel, meaning subsequent seasons will likely have to go off script and create an original story.