Rinko Kikuchi has gotten a ton of Oscar talk this year for her powerful performance in Babel. She plays a 16-year-old deaf mute and it really wasn’t until I was offered the opportunity to interview her that I realized she did not actually have that handicap … that’s how good she is in the movie. She’s now a Golden Globe and SAG nominee in the Female Supporting Actor categories.
Take note that English is not her first language so the questions and answers all went through an interpreter. This really bummed me out in the end because she seems like a pretty thoughtful person and with all the time it took to have everything translated, I couldn’t get to all of the questions I had for her. Here’s what I did manage to get, just in time for the Golden Globes tonight, which RopeofSilicon will have EXTENSIVE coverage on. So stay tuned for that!
Rinko, it’s a pleasure to be speaking to you today. Congratulations on your Golden Globe and SAG nominations. It must be pretty exciting …
RK: Thank you, Thank you very much. Yes, it’s very exciting!
I hadn’t seen any of your previous work prior to Babel, so I was shocked when I learned you were not actually deaf. You obviously learned sign language to prepare for the role but I’m wondering what other kind of research you used.
RK: Actually, I attended a school for deaf and mute people. I spend a lot of time together with these girls. We hung out, spent the weekends together, we played volleyball together a lot. We did all sorts of things just to get an idea what they were like.
You’re performance relies on many factors: there’s the sign language – the other physical preparations you were discussing. There’s also the very heavy emotional load you had to carry in this film. How did you prepare for that?
RK: Yes, you’re right. There is a lot of emotional work that had to be done; the anger towards your own father, of course the sexuality … being a sixteen year old there’s a lot of confusion and anger towards that too. She’s struggling to find a place for herself in this world. But I try and come up with some of the emotional details beforehand. Try to make myself understand that first and then … and this whole character is a very sensitive, a sort of fragile character and the film just really covers the one day in her life, so I try to figure out what happened before and after and those kind of details. She’s basically constantly on the edge, she’s like a, almost like a ticking time bomb. So I try to really concentrate on how to literally express that through my work, to make people understand she’s actually constantly on the edge and I make sure I’m absorbing all of these details when I do the work, standing in front of the camera.
Was there a lot of rehearsal with Alejandro [Inarritu] and the other actors?
RK: We actually had a lot of preparation during the audition process. I had to go through a scene many times with the director and the actors. So a lot of the rehearsals for me took place as I was being auditioned.
It’s a very challenging performance obviously and it’s a very rich film. What was the more attractive element to you: the role or the project itself?
RK: Well, actually I was never given a script for the other segments, so I only had the Japanese segments of the script. But just the fact that Alejandro, who is a director I’ve respected and admired even before the audition process started taking place, it was obviously the first and the last chance for a Japanese actress to be able to work with him in Japan so I mean, that in itself alone was such a huge factor. And of course, there is the role of Chieko, being a 16-year-old deaf mute and lots of emotional [peaks], like a roller coaster … I mean as an actress it was a totally challenging role so those two things are definitely equally engaging elements for the whole thing.
Is there a moment in the film that really stands out to you as a favorite? A scene that was the most stimulating to you?
RK: Well, actually I liked a lot of the things involving the kids in Morocco. I thought the scenes and sequences involving them was full of energy. And also it was very sad and it felt to me very much representative of what they’re going through. It was a very tough segment but I was struck by it
There’s so many subplots and themes in Babel and I’m wondering when friends and family ask you what the movie is about what you tell them.
RK: If it’s possible I actually avoid telling them before they see the film what it is. But if I had to say I’d tell them it’s the kind of movie that makes you want to love someone after you’ve seen the film.
What was it like working with Alejandro Inarritu?
RK: He actually – before we went to the set – many, many times he made sure that the character he had in his mind and the character I have in my mind, he made sure there was no difference there, that we had this common goal, basically. And once we were on the set he completely trusted me. He’s the kind of director who on the set creates an atmosphere where a director and an actor can trust each other. I think that comes naturally for him to be able to have that kind of relationship with actors. So I think that’s what was really amazing thing about the whole thing.
Speaking of actors, Adriana Barraza’s name and your name are something that come hand in hand these days as the award season is heating up. How does it feel being recognized with a fellow cast member for this movie?
RK: I think that’s a very wonderful thing and that it’s more than indication that Babel is being appreciated by a lot of people. I think all these awards and things help bring more audience to the movie theatres and I think that’s a wonderful thing.
Babel is a very international film with multiple languages and – some might say – philosophies. Do you see big differences in eastern productions versus western productions?
RK: It’s not that I have so much experiences in both worlds…it’s a little hard for me to say. There’s some differences but I’m still at the stage of figuring that out. There are differences between eastern cinema and western cinema but I’m still figuring out what those differences are.
This is a film that is primarily about breakdowns in communications. But there are characters that find connections because they are forced into worlds where communication is difficult, but necessary. I’m wondering what you think about that paradox?
RK: Actually, I think miscommunication has a much more important role as far as human communication, because miscommunication, like you said, forces people to communicate, and I think that opens up new opportunities to sort of look at that person and realize a lot of new things, and understand that person better and – in a sense – deeper. So I think in that sense, miscommunication – basic human struggle – I think makes us realize the nature of human beings and I think beauty.
You can watch the Golden Globes on NBC this Monday, January 15th at 8 p.m. EST and you can catch the SAG awards January 28th on both TNT and TBS. For more information on Babel, click here. Also stay tuned to the RopeofSilicon Award Show Central for all of our Award Season coverage.
