Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is an exploration of the shadowy organization present in Legendary Pictures’ ever-expanding MonsterVerse. Although the series, created by Chris Black and written by Black and Matt Fraction, features Godzilla and introduces new Titans into the fold, it focuses primarily on the humans affected by both the Titans and Monarch. The series also utilizes a unique dual-timeline storytelling approach to showcase Monarch’s optimistic inception and the arguable later failing of its potential.
The post G-Day contingent of the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters cast is led by Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, and Kiersey Clemons. Sawai and Watabe play Cate and Kentaro Randa, two half-siblings who are only just learning of each other’s existence, and Clemons plays May, a computer whiz with a layered history whose ties to Kentaro pull her into the Randa family drama. All three excel in their respective roles, which is especially impressive given that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is Watabe’s first major acting credit.
Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters Timeline & All Time Periods Explained
Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters show explores multiple periods in the Monsterverse timeline, each with their own significance to its history.
Screen Rant interviewed Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, and Kiersey Clemons about their thoughts on their characters, shooting in Japan, and more.
Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe & Kiersey Clemons On Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters
Screen Rant: I’d love to start with Ren. I loved getting to see Kentaro’s backstory in episode four. How much do you think Kentaro’s relationship with his dad has defined who he is as a person?
Ren Watabe: His relationship with his father is a great deal of what makes him [who he is] as a person. He has a deep passion for finding the truth about that, and that’s his main motive throughout the show, I think. Like you said, I think it definitely defines who he is as a person.
Anna, Cate is, at the start of this season, one of the only characters to have actually seen Godzilla in person. Obviously, it affected her. What was it like for you to figure out how to incorporate that into your performance?
Anna Sawai: I think it really helped that we were able to shoot that G-Day scene in the… I think it was my first day [or] first few days on set, so I got to experience that. And I was a little bit ill, so it really helped me get into that, like, “Oh my God,” like, “What are we doing? This is so exhausting. This is scary. I don’t know where I am.” I was just processing everything.
Also, I had a horrible experience in 2011 with the Tohoku earthquake, which really came into play. Having that trauma and the alarms going off and being kind of taken to that place… it really helped.
Kiersey, obviously, there’s a lot to May as a person. She’s secretive, and smart, and guarded, and engaging. What is your favorite side of her personality to play?
Kiersey Clemons: Eventually, we do get to see who she is. She’s not as guarded at a certain point, but I really like it when she is guarded and you get to see the small moments of vulnerability with Cate or Kentaro. I really enjoyed getting to show her heart a little bit here and there.
Ren, I think this is your first television series, or at least the first huge, huge one. What was the most surprising thing about this entire experience for you?
Ren Watabe: That even though you don’t have experience, you can land a role like this. I came in with almost no experience. I don’t know; I just tried to be real. I don’t know if I was able to do that, but that’s what I tried, and that’s the only thing I knew how to do. I don’t know how to act, [but] I do know the life I’ve lived, and so I can transfer that into my character.
Kiersey, I believe you filmed a lot of this in Japan. What was your favorite part of filming there?
Kiersey Clemons: I wasn’t there for a long time; the time that we had there got cut short. I walked around a lot. I just kept walking until I couldn’t walk; until my clothes were literally soaked. It’s the craziest thing. The heat was wild. That was my least favorite thing.
Anna Sawai: It was the worst time to go to Japan.
Kiersey Clemons: It was crazy. I’m from Florida and I’ve never experienced that in my life. I think my favorite part was when our holding room, one filming day, was in a karaoke room. It was a night shoot, and it was fun. What area were we in?
Anna Sawai: Shinjuku.
Kiersey Clemons: Yeah, Shinjuku. I liked that day.
I like imagining all of you singing karaoke and then going into really dramatic scenes.
Kiersey Clemons: I liked that, yeah.
Is there a Titan that you would most like to see on the show, maybe in a future season if there is one?
Anna Sawai: I feel like the popular big ones…
Kiersey Clemons: What I want to see is coming, so let’s just leave it there.
Anna Sawai: Yeah: That’s what I was going to say.
About Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters
Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch.
Check out our other Monarch: Legacy of Monsters interviews:
- Matt Shakman
- Sean Konrad
- Tory Tunnell
- Matt Fraction & Chris Black
- Mari Yamamoto & Anders Holm
- Joe Tippett & Elisa Lasowski
- Leopold Ross
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
- Cast:
- Array
- Genres:
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- Rating:
- Not Yet Rated
- Seasons:
- 1
- Writers:
- Array
- Streaming Service(s):
- Array
- Franchise(s):
- Array
- Directors:
- Array
- Showrunner:
- Array
