Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ resident time-displaced scientist Keiko, portrayed by Mari Yamamoto, has been doing her very best to catch up to speed. In the 1950s, she helped form the Monarch organization to study Godzilla and other Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms (MOTU). But during a mission gone wrong, Keiko went missing and was presumed dead. Truth is, she became stuck in the Axis Mundi – a world between worlds – for 57 days, which translated into decades in the modern timeline. When Keiko finally emerged, she had barely aged, even though everyone she held dear had advanced in years. She’s since reunited with an older Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) and her two adult grandchildren, Cate (Anna Sawai) and Kentaro (Ren Watabe).
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But in the Monarch Season 2 finale, “We Belong Here,” it’s all on the line. Team Monarch assembled on Skull Island to send Titan X, aka Co’cai, home through a rift. Apex Cybernetics, however, has other plans for the behemoth: the baddies wanted Titan X to take down Kong… with the humans caught in the crossfire. Yamamoto spoke to ComicBook about the Shaw bombshell, Keiko’s interaction with the Titans, the coming of Rodan, and the new Monarch.
Keiko makes a startling discovery in the finale, namely that Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) was also at Axis Mundi when she was left behind. How did that piece of information hit her?
Mari Yamamoto: So many things. It’s sort of a betrayal. The theme I constantly had is this is a story about three people talking to each other over time, across space. It’s a love story between the three of them, in a way. In the first season finale, I remember distinctly asking in the Axis Mundi, in a scene where Keiko and old Shaw meet, I really wanted to say, “I’ve been talking to you in my head this whole time,” because that’s what they would have done. Even if they are not there, they still talk to each other after somebody is gone. I always thought that was the beauty of it. To know that she was living those two months, 59 years, yearning to talk to these people, and he had the opportunity, but he didn’t take it… First of all, it’s like a betrayal, but also a shock that we could have had this time together. But, most of all in that moment, her reaction is, “You took away my time from my kid.” I think that’s the biggest part of it and the biggest heartbreak of it, that “what if” could have happened.
It’s Keiko to Cate’s rescue as Kong and Titan X thrash and smash around. How much of that was you zooming along in the jeep? And was that filmed on location or on a gimbal?
When you see my face, it’s me. When they go on one tire, that’s all an incredible stunt team that we had in Australia. They came to Thailand, as well. I had two stunt people. One was a woman who was my stunt double the whole season. She was incredible. What was funny was the actual stunt driving of it is in an incredible car that is rigged. There’s a hidden driver’s seat in the back, so there’s a guy sitting behind me one level lower. He and his father actually built these cars. They are both stunt men, so they built this contraption so that the person in front can look like they are driving, but the primary driving happens in the back. He was doing a lot of that. He would also put on a wig and my costume and do some of the driving, as well. It was a whole production around that.
Tom Cruise has mastered the art of running, but Keiko does plenty of sprinting in this episode. Did you gain a new appreciation for action sequences?
Oh yes, absolutely, especially the running. Anna (Sawai) and I have to do so much running. The last shot of the season, when we wrapped, was me and Anna running. I remember that very vividly. We really struggled because we are running towards the camera, so you can’t run that fast. But then you have to look like you are running for your life. Anna has this incredible Tom Cruise run, and Keiko is not going to run like an athlete. She’s a scientist, so I am going to run like a normal person. The struggle really was going slowly, but trying to look like you are running for your life.
Keiko made a connection with one of her grandchildren, Cate. But what are her thoughts on the path that Kentaro has gone down?
It was so interesting shooting Hiroshi’s death scene because Kentaro comes in at the end, and it’s a horrific moment. When he steps in, it’s like she sees double. It’s like, “Oh, I did this to Hiroshi. I left him.” She sees Hiroshi in Kentaro. There’s a tremendous amount of guilt she feels towards him. Not only did Kentaro lose his father, but he didn’t get to say goodbye. There’s a delicateness around that she doesn’t quite know how to handle, I think. She sees a lot of similarity between herself and Cate. Cate also comes to her with a crazy idea. This is Keiko’s thing. She is the biggest believer. You give her a crazy idea, and she will be the first one to believe it. She’s a scientist, and scientists see miracles all day, every day, when they study the human body or something. She will be like, “Ok, that’s crazy. That’s great. Let’s figure it out.” But when it’s more about Kentaro, who is a little more internal and is hard to read, I think she is really struggling to connect with him. And she doesn’t really get an opportunity because there’s so much going on this season. That’s one of the things I wish we had gotten to explore more… the connection between them.
In the aftermath, we see the formation of Monarch 2.0. Do you feel that’s given her a new purpose moving forward in the present day?
I think so. The whole season is really about, “Am I useful? Do I have a place in this world?” Episode 8 in the dunes, she is literally asking, “Where am I supposed to be?” She really doesn’t know. She is still struggling because it’s only been 10 days. The whole season is only 10 days. I have been calling it “grieving while running” this season for her. She is still so disoriented. The only thing she can anchor herself in is the monsters and the science. That has been her orientation until now. Through that, she finds this connection with Cate. In a way, Cate is also her purpose to stay because she wants to be there for her. Keiko is a fiercely loving person, so it’s always coming from a place of love, and where does she put all this love? Everybody she knew has died or left this Earth. Having somebody to love also gives you purpose. And, of course, monsters… That’s always her love.
Let’s talk about monsters. How excited were you for the introduction of Rodan in the final moments of the episode, and what it could mean for the series and Keiko?
This season alone, she’s found out so many things about the monsters… That they communicate. This is so exciting to her. In a way, it’s a massive distraction from her husband and son’s deaths. It’s incredible to have these discoveries. Also, she hasn’t been updated since 1959. Right before she fell into Axis Mundi, she saw these eggs, so I guess she knew they procreate. But seeing Co’cai with her egg and her instincts was really fascinating to her. Also, this season, we get a mention of Pulgasari, which is such a deep cut. I actually got to meet one of the guys in the art department on the original Godzilla film. He did Pulgasari, too, so it was incredible to hear about that. Then to have that mentioned this season and Rodan… For Keiko, it’s really exciting to discover new creatures. But, at the same time, just as a show, to get to deepen its ties to all of the Kaijus of yore is really cool.
It’s a big deal to see these iconic monsters come into play.
Yeah, I would love for Keiko to develop some kind of relationship with some of these creatures. Cate has this connection with Co’cai. I think Keiko’s obsession is a one-way street. That’s OK, but an acknowledgement would be nice.
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