Pacific Rim opened worldwide in theaters this weekend, and it's managed to get both audience and critics approval. The film is above 70% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this article, and it's gotten an A- Cinemascore across domestic audiences. While box office for the weekend is still not confirmed, exhibitor numbers are much higher than expected, and the film has definitely exceeded expectations.
Rinko Kikuchi at an awards function for 'Babel'
Critics and audiences also agree that one of the best parts of the movie is Rinko Kikuchi, a Japanese actress who got an Oscar nomination for her work in 'Babel'. Her role in 'Pacific Rim' is very different, and in a new interview, Rinko opens up about the physical preparation, including the diet and training, that she had to undergo to get into shape for this role.
When discussing the physical training, Rinko explained, "Before shooting, I trained almost two months, like boot camp, lifting, running on the beach, martial arts, eating the healthy food--I've never done this before. [Laughs] I hated it, but I had to do it." She also adds that she had to maintain a rigid diet, adding, "[I usually eat] chocolate. Pasta. Some Japanese food, I love that. But I couldn't eat at all at the time. And also, my trainer was really, really hard on me. I love him, but he was really hard on me. All of that is new to me and it was hard, but I love Guillermo [del Toro], I love his movie. And I knew how I lucky I was to get this role, so I just did it. I just had to get over it."
Rinko Kikuchi in a still from 'Pacific Rim'
'Pacific Rim', in addition to starring Rinko Kikuchi, also stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, and Ron Perlman. The film is getting distributed by Legendary and Warner Brothers, and directed by Guillermo Del Toro.
Rinko Kikuchi interview for Pacific Rim
