Westworld: See how Shogun World was brought to life in this behind-the-scenes video
On Sunday night’s episode of Westworld, “Akane No Mai,” we were plunged headfirst into a new park: Shogun World, set is Japan’s Edo period, a place built for guests who find Westworld “too tame,” to quote Delos lead narrator Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman). In this week’s behind-the-scenes video, the cast and crew discuss what it was like to bring this ambitious new park to life.
So Shogun World exists in part because some guests are bored by Westworld, but co-creator Lisa Joy also discussed the role in plays in the wider world. “We wanted to be cognizant of the fact that the audience for the park wouldn’t just be Americans or people interested in the frontier of America. It would be an international audience, and the park would, therefore, have to have an international bent.”
As our characters noticed, Shogun World bore a lot of similarities to Westworld, especially the town where Maeve and company are brought after getting captured at the top of the hour, which closely resembled Sweetwater. From the blacksmith at the forge to the various shops to children playing pranks on old men, everything is mirrored. The sets were even built in the same area, according to art director Jon Carlos. “We were able to a portion of our Melody [Ranch] backlot and convert it into an Edo-period town.”
"A fun little fact too is, if you look at most of the stores, there is a store that represents each of the departments that it takes to create a production on a film. So, you can find a store that is an homage to hair, to makeup, to accounting, to stunts, to art, construction, to writing, so, an alert viewer might recognize some of these things."
If any show can pull off that kind of meta bit, it’s Westworld.
Actor-wish, co-creator Jonathan Nolan praised new cast members Hiroyuki Sanada (Musashi) and Rinko Kikuchi (Akane) for being “beautifully committed to presenting as much authenticity with their performances as possible.” All of the actors went all in on this episode, with Thandie Newton (Maeve) noting the difficulty of the dialect they all spoke:
"Even the language we used was a traditional Japanese speak, it wasn’t modern Japanese. I mean, this was like being on the most intense and immersive field trip ever."
The costumes were also a highlight. Costume designer Sharen Davis drew inspiration from actual history, but tweaked the costumes to make them feel like they were part of an “amusement park version of the Edo period.”
The Shogun World hosts also had to mirror each other in one way or another. “So I had to keep the same colors on them, or contrast them. So that was really fun because Maeve’s would be more lively where Akane’s would be more serious and traditional.”
The Westworld crew worked tirelessly to bring Shogun World to life, and it paid off. Westworld continues Sunday night with Episode 206, “Phase Space.”
Next: Westworld season 2, Episode 5 Recap: “Akane No Mai”
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