Rinko Kikuchi

I love New York. I'm taking English lessons there for the first time. I used to live in Tokyo, but I needed something new. I'm really close to my family. I miss them all the time, but we Skype a lot.

live family time love

There's something very... spiritual about fighting. It's physically very challenging. It's for killing people, after all, so it's taught me how to look at something head on. It's like living - confronting something. Everything for me came from films.

look me spiritual people

When watching movies, I was always inspired by the performances of the cast. Of course, the story and the direction and all that intrigued me. But what actors would propel themselves to do, and be, was awesome. It was like, how could these people give so much?

direction movies me people

We don't put our emotions out there in Japan. I'm Japanese, but I love to be honest.

emotions japan honest love

On the red carpet, I need to be protected. When I wear a Chanel dress, I feel like I've earned the right to be there. And Karl Lagerfeld is so poetic, such an intelligent man. I like the way he has the power to draw attention.

dress man red power

I've seen 'Babel' four times. And each time I realize anew what a monumental project that had been for me.

project realize me time

Not all actresses know how to express their looks, I think. For me, it's an on-again, off-again thing. I'm still struggling.

think know me looks

I don't want to limit myself. I want to keep doing all sorts of roles. I guess what lies behind this urge is the conviction that movies have changed my life. And certain performances have inspired me to try to be someone different.

my-life myself me life

I grew up with a lot of monster movies, robot movies, since I was a kid. I love anime movies, like 'Evangelion' and 'Ghost in the Shell.'

movies kid like love

I've been working with Spanish, French, some more American, and Japanese directors. And then I realized I have to study English, and that's why I moved to New York two years ago.

american new study new-york

I love film, any kind of genre.

any film kind love

I like challenges. That's why if I read a script, and I feel, 'Oh, I can't do this,' I'll take that role, because if I feel like, 'Oh, I can do this,' I don't want to take that because I can't learn from that film.

feel i-can challenges want

When I was a little girl, I used to watch a lot of monster movies, like 'Godzilla.' All those monster movies.

movies like used girl

Fashion is really interesting to me, but I'm not a professional model, so I'm focusing my career on acting.

professional career me fashion