Rinko Kikuchi quotes:

On the red carpet, I need to be protected. When I wear a Chanel dress, I feel like I've earned the right to be there. And Karl Lagerfeld is so poetic, such an intelligent man. I like the way he has the power to draw attention.

When I was a little girl, I used to watch a lot of monster movies, like 'Godzilla.' All those monster movies.

I grew up with a lot of monster movies, robot movies, since I was a kid. I love anime movies, like 'Evangelion' and 'Ghost in the Shell.'

We don't put our emotions out there in Japan. I'm Japanese, but I love to be honest.

When watching movies, I was always inspired by the performances of the cast. Of course, the story and the direction and all that intrigued me. But what actors would propel themselves to do, and be, was awesome. It was like, how could these people give so much?

I've seen 'Babel' four times. And each time I realize anew what a monumental project that had been for me.

Fashion is really interesting to me, but I'm not a professional model, so I'm focusing my career on acting.

I don't want to limit myself. I want to keep doing all sorts of roles. I guess what lies behind this urge is the conviction that movies have changed my life. And certain performances have inspired me to try to be someone different.

Not all actresses know how to express their looks, I think. For me, it's an on-again, off-again thing. I'm still struggling.