Interview with Rina Takeda

30.05.2011EvilDollaR

At the Asian Film Festival "Terracotta", which took place at the Prince Charles Cinema in London, resource Far East Films managed to interview Rina Takeda (Rina Takeda), a rising star of Japanese action cinema.

Rina, first of all, can you tell us about how you started doing karate?

Rina Takeda: My father and brother studied karate, and as a child I watched them take part in a tournament. They both lost, and I was very upset, almost offended by them, and the next day I went to the dojo with the goal of learning karate.

Ah, well, then it’s clear, it’s all about revenge! [Rina laughs] Did you manage to get a rematch? I would like to ask if any Asian film characters have inspired you?

Rina Takeda: Jija Yanin, she was my inspiration.

And, from “Chocolate”, she is very good. In the 80s and 90s there was Yukari Oshima….

Rina Takeda: Unfortunately, I have never seen her, not one of her works, but I know about her, they told me about her.

Aren't you surprised that you have fans in countries like the UK?

Rina Takeda: I never knew that I had admirers in this country, but when I went to the cinema yesterday, everyone started hugging me and saying my name. Like, “Oh, High Kick Girl!” I was so happy!

I remember watching the first trailer with this kick of yours, a blow to that guy [raises his head, hinting at his great height] [Rina laughs]. Everyone is talking about “High Kick Girl”, but what is it? Is this a film or a video game?.. It was nice to see you in a full-length film. Here you are so joyful, but there you were very, very angry [makes an angry face] [Rina giggles]. Was it difficult for you to adapt karate to on-screen fights?

Rina Takeda: The most difficult thing was with the acting. In karate, when participating in a tournament, you know that you should not show anyone that you are in pain, you cannot show any emotions, your face should be like when you are playing poker. But in the film I had to “show” pain, I think that was the hardest thing for me to learn.

Were there moments where the choreography was too “real”, too dangerous at times?

Rina Takeda: There are quite a lot of them! [everyone laughs] My co-stars were real martial artists, and although filming doesn't usually involve full contact, we did hit for real sometimes, so injuries were common.

Were there a lot of bruises?

Rina Takeda: Yes, I was covered in bruises.

Let's talk about your new film “Kunoichi”.

Rina Takeda: Well, this film with my participation was filmed only recently, and the premiere was the other day.

And what was the reaction from your native Japanese market? Do you think they have rated you as well as other Asian markets?

Rina Takeda: It may have been viewed a little differently because it's not like other karate films. It was presented differently than usual, very “aggressively”, so people’s reactions may differ.

I think one of the joys of “High Kick Girl” was, well, those high kicks! It's nice to see good footwork on screen again.

Rina Takeda: Yes, that was the main emphasis. I wanted to show that everything was real, in addition there was full contact, and we tried to emphasize these points.

[Laughs] Of course, a couple of times it even looked too realistic!

Rina Takeda: Yes, in those places everything was absolutely without deception.

I bet they had a hard time after that [Rina giggles]. It must be difficult to film when you have to practice karate every day. What does your daily workout consist of?

Rina Takeda: First of all, I look after the muscles. Luckily, my brother still practices karate, so we do sparring.

And which one of you is cooler? Keep in mind that your brother is not here, so you can say whatever you want... [Rina laughs, but avoids answering]

Rina Takeda: I also do two to three hundred squats a day...

Two or three hundred a day! I have only one thing - in the morning, when I get out of bed... [Rina kindly laughs at a primitive joke] That's why I have such excellent muscles [while saying this, he points a finger at his flabby stomach]. Is there anyone in the film industry that you would really like to work with in the future?

Rina Takeda: With Jackie Chan!

Oh yes, I wouldn't mind working with him too! (even as an errand boy, if he happens to be reading this interview) He was always very popular in Japan, wasn’t he? What's great about Asian action movies is the strong women, and of course they're also fun in other genres like dramas and romances...

Rina Takeda: I like Angelina Jolie and films like Sucker Punch and Charlie's Angels. Women always remain very feminine, but strong, and look cool, very masculine. I know that I don’t look very masculine yet, I look more like a minor, and that’s what I’m working on now. I hope that soon I will become, how can I put it, a little sexier and more mature.

I think Hollywood should say thank you to the strong women of Asian action cinema for the fact that the women of Hollywood are not inferior to them in this regard. To say thank you for films like “High Kick Girl”...

Rina Takeda: I will try to become the biggest Asian action star, that's my goal.

Rina, thank you so much for your time [Rina bows].

The authors would like to thank Rina Takeda, her manager Satomi Nagasawa, translator Sayaka Smith, and Terracotta festival organizer Claire Marty for their assistance in conducting this interview.

Source: fareastfilms.com
Translation: EvilDollaR

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Tags: High Kick Girl, A kunoichi, karate, Rina Takeda

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