Father Martin Alvito

A Jesuit priest and skilled linguist, Father Alvito serves as translator between the Portuguese mission and Japan's warring lords. Soft-spoken and watchful, he moves easily among daimyo and shows genuine devotion, but his fluency and closeness to power make him indispensable — and impossible to fully trust.

Bastow plays him as a man of real faith who is also, unmistakably, an operator, and the show never lets you settle on which quality is dominant. Every translated sentence carries a second meaning, and Bastow's calm, courteous delivery makes you lean forward wondering what he's choosing not to say.