not acknowledge the Emperor's authority in Irontown, a revolutionary view for the time, and displays an atypical attitude for a woman of that era in that she wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice herself or those around her for her dreams. Miyazaki also said that Eboshi resembles a shirabyōshi. Eboshi's English voice actress Minnie Driver stated that she was interested in "the challenge of playing [a] woman who supports industry and represents the interests of man, in terms of achievement and greed." Driver viewed Eboshi as "a warrior, an innovator and a protector." Kaoru Kobayashi provides the voice of , a monk and mercenary who befriends Ashitaka on his journey to the west. Miyazaki was unsure whether to make Jiko-bō a government spy, a ninja, a member of a religious group or "a very good guy." He eventually decided to give him elements of all of the above groups. In the English version, Jigo is voiced by Billy Bob Thornton. Masahiko Nishimura voices , an ox driver; John DeMita voices Kohroku in the English version. Miyazaki wrote Kohroku to be "an ordinary guy [who] didn't do anything heroic, right to the end", something he stated was contrary to films he'd made up to that point. Tsunehiko Kamijō provides the voice of , Eboshi's short-tempered but loyal bodyguard; he is voiced by John DiMaggio in the English version. Akihiro Miwa voices , a giant wolf god and San's adopted mother; Gillian Anderson provides her voice in the English version. Mitsuko Mori provides the voice of , the wise woman of Ashitaka's village. In the English version, Hii-sama is voiced by Debi Derryberry. Hisaya Morishige provides the voice of , a blind boar god. In the English version, Okkoto is voiced by Keith David, who also voices the narrator in the film's opening sequence. The cast also includes: Akira Nagoya as the ; Kimihiro Reizei as a ; Tetsu Watanabe as a ; Makoto Sato as , a wild boar turned into a demon who curses Ashitaka when he attacks the Emishi village, voiced by John DiMaggio in the English version; and Sumi Shimamoto as , Kohroku's wife, a former prostitute, and the leader of Eboshi's women, voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith in the English version. Production In the late 1970s, Miyazaki drew sketches of a film about a princess living in the woods with a beast. Miyazaki began writing the film's plotline and