English pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Spanish pilot Vascos Rodrigues (Nestor Carbonell) are frenemies in FX’s epic Shōgun series, set in feudal Japan.
It was so much fun to dive into this crazy character [Vascos Rodrigues]. This nut job Spanish pilot who was hired by the Portuguese to travel and do business in Japan and he stayed. — Nestor Carbonell to the official Shogun podcast.
The two pilots from warring nations meet when Lord Toranaga summons the shipwrecked prisonerJohn Blackthorne to Osaka and Rodrigues must transport him.
The fishing village of Ajiro was filmed at Minaty Bay on the Sea to Sky Highway in BC.
At sea, Rodrigues lets the still-tied-up Blackthorne pilot the ship.
When a storm washes Rodrigues overboard, Blackthorne insists he’s too valuable not to be rescued..
Filmed in West Vancouver’s Whytecliff Park.
The rescue of Rodrigues.
Rodrigues on the rocks.
Nestor Carbonell did his drowning stunts in a giant warm-water wave pool not the actual cold surf pictured.
Then I [almost] drown. . . .in this massive [wave] pool outside with these rock formations……pretty warm water….felt like a child..,,felt like I was on a Disney ride. — Nestor Carbonell to the official Shogun podcast.
Nestor Carbonell explains Rodrigues’s fascination with Blackthorne:
He’s mesmorized by this guy …sees a young version himself in him ..but he also …hates him because he knows what he stands for. He stands for Protestantism. And when he reads his [logs} about what he’s actually done ….murdering Catholics in Manila…and yet [Blackthorne] saves his life and that does come into play when he has a chance to save Blackthorne at the end of episode 3..
Rodrigues repays his debt to Blackthorne by letting him survive an ambush by Japanese Catholics during Lord Toranaga’s escape from Osaka Castle.
Blackthorne pilots Lord Toranaga’s galley alongside the Portuguese Black Ship piloted by Rodrigues.
The ships that we got to steer were just massive. Even the green screens were 100 feet tall. I think they were the biggest in the world. …in. order for us to be able to shoot with these massive ships that were also moving …. they were all motorized but they were on land, on tracks. It was extraordinary to shoot. — Nestor Carbonell to the official Shogun podcast.
The Black Ship build at Rocky Point in Port Moody.
Boat race with blue screens.
The Osaka docks at Rocky Point in Port Moody.
Portuguese-born Canadian actor.Louis Ferreira’ is Captain of the Black Ship.
During Lord Toranaga’s escape from Osaka, Mariko’s husband Buntaro is left behind fighting on the docks and dies an honourable samurai death.
Osaka docks at Port Moody’s Rocky Point.
Port Moody harbour on Burrard Inlet east of Vancouver.
Shogun streams Tuesdays on Disney+.