Sharmaine Arnaiz all praises for ‘Shogun’ star Hiroyuki Sanada NATHALIE

Sharmaine Arnaiz fondly recalled her experience as a leading lady to Japanese superstar Hiroyuki Sanada in the 1995 Japanese-Filipino co-production “Kinkyu Yobidashi: Emergency Call.” Lorna Tolentino played the other female lead to Sanada, who was most recently celebrated for his performance in the Disney+ action-drama “Shogun.”

On Monday (Manila time), the samurai series made history by collecting a record number of 18 Emmys for its first season, including Outstanding Drama Series and Best Lead Actor in a Dramatic Series for its star and co-producer Sanada. With this feat, he became the first Japanese actor and second Asian Actor (after Lee Jung Jae of “Squid Game”) to win the Emmy in that category.

But even before “Shogun,” Sanada had already landed major Hollywood roles in such films as “The Last Samurai” and “The 47 Ronin.”

Two decades later after “Emergency Call,” which was megged by Japanese director Kazuko Omori (best-known for directing ‘90s classic “Godzilla” movies),  Sanada definitely remains an unforgettable co-star for Sharmaine.

“I remember how kind and humble he is. Back then, I knew he was popular in Japan. He was acting since he was 5. He gave me copies of his movies, and I was so amazed at his talent. When we shot for ‘Emergency Call,’ my character was a dancer who grew up in Tondo, and I brought him to the market and the slums. He never complained in any of our scenes. He was truly professional, and I thought highly of him,” Sharmaine told The STAR in a series of online messages.

Sharmaine also reminisced about some unforgettable moments during the shoot, especially one in Smokey Mountain.

“Unforgettable scenes? Yes, the scenes where we went to the slums and ran into goons and had to point a gun at the hoodlums. We were in, like, Smokey Mountain area, then we ran, and it led to our kissing scene. Haha.”

For Sharmaine, working with Sanada was both exciting and inspiring. She said she continued to follow his career closely, even before his iconic role in “Shogun.”

“Yes, of course, I watched all his works. Even before ‘Shogun,’ he had several international movies, and I’m not surprised (by his success) as I’ve worked with him. I’ve seen his films