Anna Sawai says Sam Mendes’ Beatles films will include Yoko Ono’s ‘side of the story’

Shōgun star Anna Sawai is set to play Yoko Ono in Sam Mendes’ Beatles films, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event. She tells Variety she hopes fans will come away with a better understanding of Ono, who married John Lennon in 1969 and has often been accused of breaking up The Beatles.

“It was my dream to tell her story and I didn’t think it would come this quick,” Sawai told the magazine. “There’s a version of her I feel people still don’t understand. And in this film, I think we’re going to be able to tell that side of the story.”

The actress notes that she’s been doing a lot of research for the role, including “so much reading.”

“So many books, so many videos, so many articles,” she explained. “She has so much artwork that also shows her personality.”

Sawai also offered up some insider info on how her co-stars Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan are handling performing as The Beatles for the film.

“They’re not even looking at the sheet music anymore,” she says. “They can just play it off and sing it, and it really sounds like the Beatles to me. It feels surreal.”

The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event will consist of four films, each told from the perspective of one of the band members. It is set expected to open in theaters in April 2028.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.