Shōgun’s stunt coordinator on the show’s ‘no bullshit’ approach to action

23.04.2024 - 16:05 / polygon.com

FX’s Shōgun is the best show of the year by some margin. The impeccably crafted period piece builds out complex and memorable characters and an impressive portrait of Japan at the turn of the 17th century, and every decision — down to the smallest details — reflects the clear artistic intent and spirit of collaboration behind the series.

The action might not be what some people expected, though — especially not with the Game of Thrones comparison the show has garnered. Rather than long, drawn-out sword duels, Shōgun’s action is as decisive as it is violent, as fights usually happen in an instant. It brings a palpable sense of danger to the show, and is a constant reminder of the danger of the weapons being used. Stunt coordinator and second unit director Lauro David Chartrand-DelValle saw Shōgun as an opportunity to avoid the lengthy, unrealistic sword fights where combatants are “clacking over their head.”

“They’re swinging up here and somebody’s blocking up,” he says, gesturing above his head. “Why are you blocking it? That sword is just going over your head, so just, you know, take his guts out.”

Instead, the goal was to keep the action grounded in reality and aimed toward aiding in the building out of the epic story at the heart of the show. That was a change of pace for a lot of the crew, who Chartrand-DelValle said were coming from shows with “a lot of filler” and 40-beat fight scenes that, while entertaining, lack the intensity and finality of fights in Shōgun. “I had to emphasize all the time: Go for the target. If you’re cutting, you’re cutting for the neck, take his head off, you know — especially with armor, you’re trying to get under the armpit, you’re trying to get the back of the leg. It’s got to be real, it’s got to be the target, and if you’re not doing that I call bullshit and we’re just going to start over again.”

Over two decades ago, Chartrand-DelValle worked with Shōgun star Hiroyuki Sanada on the Tom Cruise blockbuster The Last Samurai. The two hit it off, and when Sanada learned Shōgun would be shooting in Vancouver — not far from where the Canadian Chartrand-DelValle is based — the actor told the producers they should give his old collaborator a call. That movie cemented the approach Chartrand-DelValle uses to this day as an explicit call and response before filming a big action sequence.

“The producers and directors laughed at us,” he says. “We’d start a big scenario [and it would go] ‘OK, you guys ready? Here we go, rolling cameras, and what are we not going to have?’ ‘No bullshit!!!’ everyone screams out, and then we get into the fight.”

Another reason the show’s action feels so real is the amount of time and dedication the team was able to spend on it. Before shooting,