Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu Helps Rinko Kikuchi Get PACIFIC RIM Role
- Details
- Category: Interviews
- Created: Sunday, 14 July 2013 14:14
- Published: Sunday, 14 July 2013 14:14
- Written by Lupe Haas
When Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi heard Guillermo del Toro was looking for a Japanese actor to fill the role of a Jaegar pilot in the monster versus robot movie, she called her friend and Babel director Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu to set up an introduction.
CineMovie sat down with the actress for a Q&A about her physical role in the Guillermo del Toro movie and how she convinced Guillermo she was the right person for the job. In addition, the actress who made her American debut in Babel, talks about the grueling time on set in the Conn-Pod, a concoction designed by del Toro’s team to throw around the actors as pilots in the jaeger robots. She also mentions how del Toro sang to her in Japanese to ease her nerves during some of the toughest scenes to shoot for Pacific Rim.
Q: What was the preparation for this role? What kind of boot camp did they put you through?
RK: A lot. So I’ve been training for many months, like boot camp, weight-lifting, running on the beach, martial arts. My trainer was so hard on me. One day, he says, “Rinko, run to the pool.” On the beach in summer in LA it’s so hot. And then like, “Hey, I’m sorry. I can’t see any pool,” because it’s so far away. And then, “Okay, you go in there and you will see it.” And then I almost cried running to get to the pool. It was the most intensive preparation.
Q: Was it barefoot?
RK: Shoes. But I got over it and then I feel like I became tough.
Q: How did you recuperate after such intense training?
RK: I ate a lot of healthy food. I can’t eat rice, noodle, any kind of like bread. Just egg, chicken and salad. But I love chocolate. I was in the conn-pod, which was like a cockpit of the robot and it was so hard, more than the training. And I was sneaky and I ate a lot of chocolate.
Q: Was the suit really heavy and uncomfortable, especially because you were the smallest of them all?
RK: Our suits were very heavy, heavy, heavy, but when I wore that I felt like, “Okay, I’m really like a real pilot. I can survive and I’d beat them up.” If I focused on my situation, “Oh, this is so heavy,” or the mechanical arm was really, really heavy, if I focused that way, I can’t survive. When I finished with the cockpit, Guillermo gave us awards, like an Oscar, in the shape of a robot. It says, “I survived the gypsy conn-pod.” It’s kind of a joke but I almost cried [laughs]. It was a great moment and I love Guillermo.
Q: How many days were you wearing that suit?
RK: A lot. Almost four months, I think.
Q: How was the audition process?
RK: Alejandro, which is the Babel director, I knew they were really good friends. I heard a rumor that Guillermo was looking for a Japanese actor for the role. I emailed Alejandro and then asked him to put me in touch with Guillermo. And I said I’d go anywhere for an audition with him. Then I went to Toronto. I was so nervous because I really wanted to get this role and Guillermo sensed it. He was like, “Let’s get some ice cream before this audition.” Then we just ate the ice cream and that made me really relax.
Q: What flavor?
RK: For me, it’s vanilla. I think Guillermo got some chocolate. And then after that, we did a few scenes from the script. And then I got this role.
Q: Which scenes?
RK: That was the first draft so that scene was gone.
Q: How long after the audition did you know you had the part?
RK: Two months.
Q: Guillermo’s a big fan of Japanese movies, were you familiar with them? Or did you go research them?
RK: Yeah. I grew up with a lot of those movies since when I was a kid. Actually, I didn’t know that he really loved all those Japanese Kaiju movies. But I just ran into his office in Toronto and he put up some Kaiju monsters and some of it was really familiar to me. That he has a lot of toys and I realize why I think he likes.
Q: Do you have any favorites?
RK: I saw some like “Gojira” and that was really familiar. I saw that one.
Q: How was it being the lead female in a cast that’s dominated by men?
RK: [Laughs] It was good. It was good. But I would really clear my mind to focus on my performance. So now I realize, wow, it’s a lot of guys surrounding me. But at the time, I really was just focused on the role. But it was great.
Q: Through this production, do you feel you grew as a person and as an actress?
RK: I think everything’s completely new to me. Without a translator, a lot of English lines, pilot and physical training, dialect coach, big trailer. Everything’s new to me. So it was really a precious experience. And then I felt at the end of the film, I think I’m ready to be more international.
Q: Do you hope to make more American movies? Or do you have more lined up?
RK: Yes. Also I have “47 Ronin” which is coming out at the end of this year. Keanu Reeves was in it. Of course I love working with Japanese directors. But I love challenges because with English it’s really hard, more than Japanese movies. So I want to keep doing that because I love challenges.
Q: Do you use music to help you get ready for a fight scene like that?
RK: Yeah, I put on the music when I was like in the cockpit with the helmet. I listened to a lot of music.
Q: What were you listening to?
RK: Actually, it’s Kanye and Jay-Z [laughs]. And also Idris is a really good friend of Jay-Z and one night in Toronto they had a concert. And then Idris, he’s kind of my father, said, “I want to take you somewhere.” I’m like, “Where?” And then I went to the concert and I was like, “Wow!” That was great.
Q: You got to meet Kanye and Jay-Z afterwards?
RK: Yes. Oh my God. It was like, “Wow!” I was so nervous. But they just said, “We love you,” and “Let’s take a photo.”
Q: It was such an international production, how was the dynamic?
RK: It was great, especially Guillermo, he’s such a loving person. Sometimes I lose my concentration and then Guillermo sang some songs like the theme from “Totoro” or like a Japanese animation in Japanese. [Sings theme song.]
Q: Did you help when they spoke Japanese in the film?
RK: Yeah. With co-stars. And then sometimes, they say, “Is this correct?” We were really good partners.
Q: How do you feel about the Japanese actor doing voice over with your dialogue?
RK: I’m not going to do that. Because I’m a huge fan of Megumi Hayashibara. She did the voice of Rei Ayanami [in “Neon Genesis Evangelion”]. I love her voice over and she’s a really professional so I just leave it.
Q: What did you learn from your co-stars?
RK: Great. It was kind of like I was spoiled because they really took care of me. Especially Charlie was looking out for me, making sure I was okay, you know? And then some scenes, if the scene was really intense, he helped me to focus on the scene. He’s the best partner.
Q: What was the hardest day on set for you?
RK: Fight scenes, yes. Stick fights, actually I have kind of a special skill. I grew up with Japanese samurai movies also and then I did some sword plays, it’s like a samurai play. So it’s not as similar between stick fighting and samurai play but I can use my skill too.
Q: Taking Charlie down?
RK: It was fun because it’s so badass. I like that.
PACIFIC RIM is now playing in movie theaters. Up next, Rinko will be seen alongside Keanu Reeves in 47 Ronin.
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