Rei Kikukawa Interview -
March 25, 2002
What do you expect of this project?
I think the best part about action movies
is how cool they are,
That's what I like about action movies.
Speedy development of the story,
coolness, rhythm,
and non-stop thrills, I love those feelings.
I'm really looking forward to
the final version of the film.
What is the image of the main character?
She is a lawyer who learns
the limits of the law.
In the scene where the man with guns
breaks through the wall,
she has to face that in an instant,
and she thinks she might be able
to find a way to do what
she really wants to do,
and from there she is pulled
into the underworld.
This lawyer, Yuki, who I played in the movie,
is a person who rushes into things
head first and is full of passion.
She can't stop herself to confirm
whether she is right or not,
thinks to herself, and figures out
what to do from the results.
She is very powerful,
but I'm sure she is incredibly sensitive,
and easily hurt.
What to you think about playing a lawyer?
If the character was a researcher or a doctor,
I might have been able to better relate,
since I took some science courses in college.
However, playing a lawyer wasn't
very familiar to me at all.
What was your impression
of Mr. Muroga, the director?
While I was around him,
I came to understand that
he loves action movies very much.
I think his passion becomes a source
of energy on location
and it makes people move.
As for me, I also obtained power from him,
and was influenced by him,
and I was able to hurry forward.
Since he had such passion for this movie,
What do you think about
the directing methods of Mr. Muroga?
How he pictured things in his mind,
such as thoughts about guns.
or his explanations of
each scene of the script,
and how each one has it's own meaning...
He told me about these things in great detail,
and I realized quite a lot because of him.
In each scene, he told me about the
meaning and the flow of the story,
It meant a lot to me and it helped me
devote myself to each scene
so I really appreciate him doing that.
What was the most impressive scene for you?
Well, the scene, the duel scene
was the most impressive.
We went to the location early
in the morning on that day,
and we had a very hard schedule all day.
The scene was shot at last
but it was the end of the day,
and it was really late and so quiet.
Also it was very, very cold.
I was shaking because of
the excitement and cold,
It was very hard for me to do that scene,
although, I was very tense.
so I guess that environment
was too tough for me
and that's why I was able to do that scene
with a feeling of high tension.
But I still haven't seen the
actual film of that scene,
and I am looking forward to watching it.
Anyway, I hope that scene is what
I expected. I can't wait to watch it.
What was your most impressive line?
Close to the end, after the duel,
after I kill Takita, I say,
"You were absolutely right,
judgment takes only a moment."
That line contained various meanings
and feelings for me
and I could feel my body shaking.
So, that was the most impressive line for me,
and I still thrill myself
just thinking about it.
Were you able to enjoy being on location?
Most scenes were pretty much either
serious parts or high tension parts.
I more enjoyed the fact that we were
shooting an action movie.
I wonder if understand what I mean?
Good, good.
What was enjoyable to me was the fact
the fact that I was in an action movie.
However, whenever I was actually acting,
I had to be so serious that it was
beyond enjoyable.
But anyway, the atmosphere on location
was very enjoyable.
The director was too.
I was able to feel secure...
I felt at ease and was able to
relax while I was acting.
During the break, I was also able
to talk with various people there.
I really enjoyed the time off during shooting.
Have you taken any lessons
for the action scenes?
In my previous movie, I did have
a small lesson on swordplay, however,
there were no scenes of swordplay
in that movie, or in this one.
I'm trying to hold on to those experiences,
but I'm starting to forget them.
I hope I'll be able to re-learn them
so I can use them sometime.
Did you become familiar with guns?
When you hold a gun in your hand,
the feeling that the gun and your hand
are combined together into one
eventually starts to come, and
the more time you spend with it,
the stronger the feeling becomes,
so I can't really tell you clearly.
Compared with my previous movie,
I did feel some intimacy with guns.
Or... how can I describe this feeling?...
I do think a feeling of familiarity
was born inside of me,
and I was happy about it.
Are you confident about your athletic skills?
I'm pretty good at sports.
Well, I'm good at sports, like I said,
I was good at jumping rope,
and the horizontal bar,
and, what else... roller skating,
and acrobatics.
I challenged various techniques
in those sports,
and every time I got the hang of it,
I was proud of myself about it
so I guess you could say that
I was good at sports in general.
I would love to use the sports that
I am good at in movies,
or if I couldn't do it, I would want
to overcome that wall.
Anyway, I love sports.
What do action movies mean
to Rie Kikukawa?
I love action.
I love both watching action movies,
and acting in them.
I love acting very much.
I really want to do an action movie again.
What kind of action movie do you want
for your next opportunity.
I want to learn more swordplay,
and I would like to act as a female
who is strong with guns or without guns,
like with martial arts,
and I want to do a part that only a woman
can do because of flexibility.
But, if there are any plans like that,
I'd be up for the challenge.
A message from you to
Mr. Muroga, the director...
Gun Crazy, thank you very much.
I really appreciate you for many reasons.
For accepting me in various roles,
I really enjoyed it very much.
Thank you very much from
the bottom of my heart.
This movie that we all worked so hard on...
I'm really looking forward to watching it.
This movie is filled with our sweat
and blood, and it is my treasure.
Thank you so very much.
A message from you to your fans...
You don't see me like this ordinarily,
but I worked very hard in this action movie.
I hope you enjoy it.
I wonder if you will?
and I'll be really happy if you enjoy it.