Kikuchi says she's more than a Japanese actress

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

TOKYO (AFP) — Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi, who makes her debut in a full English-language film in the upcoming "The Brothers Bloom," says she sees herself as more than just a Japanese actress.

Kikuchi won critical acclaim -- and the first Oscar nomination for a Japanese actress in a half-century -- for 2006's "Babel," in which she portrayed a deaf schoolgirl yearning for an outlet for her sexual desire.

The 27-year-old, who was virtually unknown outside of Japan before "Babel," takes on an entirely different role in her new film, playing "Bang Bang," the glamorous but mysterious sidekick of conmen out to bilk heiress Rachel Weisz.

Sitting with her Malboro Reds after being feted at the recent Japan Fashion Editors Club awards, Kikuchi, sporting a psychedelic...