Interview: Rinko Kikuchi Talks NORWEGIAN WOOD, 47 RONIN, And PACIFIC RIM

A few weeks ago, special thanks to Soda Pictures and Red Flag Releasing, I got the opportunity to interview Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, The Bloom Brothers) about her new drama, NORWEGIAN WOOD, directed by Anh Hung Tran, based on the popular novel by Haruki Murakami. The interview took place on January 6th, Rinko’s birthday so I started out by greeting her Happy Birthday which she took with excitement. By the way, the film NORWEGIAN WOOD is expanding to additional U.S. theaters starting this weekend.
She also talked a bit about her role in the Samurai movie 47 RONIN starring Keanu Reeves and also in PACIFIC RIM directed by Guillermo Del Toro…

RK: “Hi Rama. This is Rinko. How are you?”

RS: I’m good, Happy Birthday, by the way.

RK: “Oh ,thank you so much.”

RS: So how did you prepare for the role? Because it seems like an emotionally exhausting role

RK: “I read the book, the novel over and over again,”

RS: What was it like doing a Japanese film under the direction of a Vietnamese filmmaker?

RK: “He had a sense of sound or voice. He doesn’t speak Japanese but he had a sense of the language. We had a translator but we were already on the same page on the set, so it was not difficult to work with him.”

RS: How were the responses from Japanese audiences especially those who love the book?

RK: “It was ok. Japanese audiences love the film. He has an eye for the Japanese characters so that was really good for this film.”

RS: This is a film that talks about sexuality in a brutally honest and open manner, did you find that comfortable or challenging?

RK: “That’s the line, that’s part of my job. It’s really poetic, it’s not dirty. It’s really beautiful, in a poetic way.”

RS: What do you hope the American audiences would get out of watching NORWEGIAN WOOD

RK: “This is a really beautiful film. It’s a sad story. When I watched this film, I realized just how much I love this film.”

RS: What is your role in 47 RONIN?

RK: “I’m an enemy — I’m a witch, a bad witch.”

RS: Can you describe your character?

RK: “I have long, long black hair and wear a kimono, but a more contemporary kimono.”

RS: Did you have samurai fighting background or did you have to train from zero for this role?

RK: “I have some skills — Japanese swordsplay — but I didn’t do that in this film.”

RS: I understand that in PACIFIC RIM you play a pilot that drives a giant robot?

RK: “Yes, we’re driving the robot.”

RS: What is the name of your robot?

RK: “I have a name for the robot, but it’s a secret.”

RS: So what is the difference between Guillermo Del Toro’s giant monster movie, PACIFIC RIM compared to
Japanese monster films?

RK: “Completely different because this is really original. I used to watch Japanese monster films when I was little but this is going to be very different.”

RS: Did you also need translator when working with del Toro?

RK: “Oh no, we didn’t have a translator, and we’re shooting in Toronto and I’m so happy to be working with him. I’m so lucky to be a part of this.”

NORWEGIAN WOOD

NORWEGIAN WOOD is a moving story of loss and sexuality set in Tokyo in the late 1960s against a time of global instability. Watanabe (Japanese rising star Kenichi Matsuyama, Death Note, Detroit Metal City) looks back on his days as a freshman university student living in Tokyo. Through his reminiscences, we see him develop relationships with two very different women, the beautiful yet emotionally troubled Naoko (Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi, Babel), and the outgoing, lively Midori (Japanese-Korean model-actress Kiko Mizuhara.) The film’s gorgeous cinematography is by Mark Lee Ping Bin (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP). Originally published in 1987, Murakami’s novel has since been translated into 33 languages and published in 36 countries. Vietnam-born and Paris-based writer-director Tran Anh Hung was nominated for an Academy Award for THE SCENT OF THE GREEN PAPAYA and won a Golden Lion in the Venice Film Festival for CYCLO. NORWEGIAN WOOD is his fifth feature.