Quotes

I have always believed in ghosts.

The Grudge (2004) is obviously is a bigger production. We were able to build the sets and everything, where we can do more stuff. So contrary to Japanese production, we have to use existing houses and we are not allowed to use different equipment and stuff, so we have to use whatever is available to us. But still, it was fun to do as a team, so both ways are fun.

[on her professional partnership with Takashi Shimizu ] I am not a very talkative person, and he isn't either, so it used to be that we never really talked to each other. But we do share the same goals, and so just recently we started chatting [laughs]. It took me 7 years! We are both [shy].

[on the J-Horror remake craze in Hollywood in the 2000s] I feel that some of the reasons are because typical American ghosts are zombies and demons and stuff like that, but when it comes to the Japanese ghosts it's more like a grudge. People's feelings are into it. I think that's something new to America. I think that's maybe what makes it scary.

At first, I only expressed anger, but then Takashi Shimizu asked me to release more feelings. Kayako is crying for help, she is very sad. By showing these different feelings, Kayako became more like a human being [laughs].

[ The Grudge 2 (2006) ] is the sixth time I've played [Kayako] in a movie. It's difficult sometimes to keep up the motivation, because I've played her so many times