Anna Sawai Shares What It's Like Playing Yoko Ono in the Upcoming Beatles Biopics (Exclusive) Toria Sheffield, Scott HuverSun, February 22, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC 1 Anna Sawai on Feb. 19, 2026; Yoko Ono in 1968 Axelle/BauerGriffin/FilmMagic; Susan Wood/Getty Anna Sawai shared what it feels like to play Yoko Ono in the four upcoming Beatles biopics Sawai will play Ono in four films — each from the perspective of a different Beatle — set to hit theaters in April 2028 Sawai caught up with PEOPLE exclusively at the season 2 premiere of her Apple TV series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Anna Sawai open...
Anna Sawai Shares What It's Like Playing Yoko Ono in the Upcoming Beatles Biopics (Exclusive)
Toria Sheffield, Scott HuverSun, February 22, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC
1
Anna Sawai on Feb. 19, 2026; Yoko Ono in 1968
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Susan Wood/Getty
Anna Sawai shared what it feels like to play Yoko Ono in the four upcoming Beatles biopics
Sawai will play Ono in four films — each from the perspective of a different Beatle — set to hit theaters in April 2028
Sawai caught up with PEOPLE exclusively at the season 2 premiere of her Apple TV series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Anna Sawai opened up about what it's like to play Yoko Ono in the Beatles biopic movies, as well as what she loves about the iconic artist.
Sawai, 33, will play Ono in the four Sam Mendes-directed Beatles films — each one from the perspective of a different bandmate — which are all set to be released on the same day in April 2028.
Sawai caught up with PEOPLE exclusively at the season 2 premiere of her Apple TV series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, in Los Angeles on Thursday, Feb. 19, where she spoke about what excites her most about playing such a well-known figure in pop culture history.
"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 [Lennon] for themselves and she was an easy target. And I think it's very meaningful for me to be able to tell her story," she added.
Yoko Ono in 1973
Ron Galella/Getty
As for what she has grown to love most about Ono?
"Just how bold she is," Sawai said, adding, "Oh my God, I love her. She's so cool."
The actress, who won both an Emmy in 2024 and Golden Globe in 2025 for her performance as Lady Mariko in the hit FX series Shōgun, went on to reflect on her meteoric rise within the industry in the past several years.
Advertisement
Anna Sawai at the 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' season 2 premiere on Feb. 19, 2026
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"It feels like a dream. It's everything that I wanted to do and I get to tell the stories that are so meaningful to me," she said.
The star said that her current position within the industry feels even more surreal when she thinks back to where she was just a few years ago.
"When I look back to a couple years ago, I was auditioning and just taking on the roles that I would get offered after auditioning. But now I have choices that I can make, and so I feel very, very lucky," she explained.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Sawai added that returning to film the second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters felt grounding after the whirlwind of the past few years.
"[The cast] became so close after season 1, and then coming back to season 2, just — it's familiar. Everyone just treats you like you're a weird person, which is great because I don't want them treating me any special way. And so, going to the Emmys and flying back and coming back to shooting, it was nice to just be able to sit back," she said.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 premieres on Apple TV on Feb. 27.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: February 21, 2026 at 10:09PM on Source: PRIME TIME
#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle