How Anna Sawai Is Reframing Yoko Ono in the Upcoming Beatles Biopics

Melissa CopeltonSun, February 22, 2026 at 1:17 AM UTC

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With the highly anticipated Beatles biopics slated to hit theaters in April 2028, audiences will take any crumbs about the project they can get in the meantime.

Anna Sawai, who will be playing Yoko Ono, opened up about what people can expect from her portrayal of the avant-garde artist and John Lennon’s widow.

“It's just exciting because [Ono’s] story is so inspirational to me, and people really don't know the true person that she was,” Sawai, 33, told People in an interview published on Saturday, February 21.

A week after their marriage, musicians John Lennon and Yoko Ono lie in bed in the Presidential Suite of the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam on March 25, 1969. The couple are staging a “bed-in for peace” and intend to stay in bed for seven days as a protest against war and violence in the world. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

“She's an incredible artist. And also, she just was an independent woman, and people didn't like that. They wanted John [Lennon] for themselves, and she was an easy target,” the Shōgun star added. “And I think it's very meaningful for me to be able to tell her story.”

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As for what Sawai loves most about Ono, who turned 93 years on February 18, she said, “Just how bold she is. Oh my God, I love her. She's so cool.”

Related: Four Movies About The Beatles Are Coming Out in the Same Month: All About the Cast, Release Date and More

The upcoming Beatles biopics, directed by Sam Mendes, will be four separate films released on the same day, starring Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

Mendes, 60, has directed films such as American Beauty, 1917, Skyfall, Spectre, and Road to Perdition.

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”