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Chiaki Kuriyama (栗山千明) (born October 10, 1984) is a Japanese actress.
Following a career as a child model and minor roles on television and film from age 11, including Toire no Hanako-san (1995), Kuriyama first achieved widespread recognition in Japan for her starring roles in the horror films Shikoku (1999) and Ju-on (2000). Later in 2000, she appeared in the action picture Battle Royale; although this film featured an ensemble cast and allowed Kuriyama relatively little screen time, many viewers felt that her scenes were particularly memorable.
After notable appearances in Japanese television series including Rokubanme no Sayoko, she made her Hollywood debut in director Quentin Tarantino's 2003 Kill Bill, Volume I. In Kill Bill, Kuriyama played the part of 'Go Go Yubari'—a cartoonish, chain-wielding, teenaged schoolgirl yakuza bodyguard of 'O-Ren Ishii'. Despite the film's primarily English language script, Kuriyama's dialogue was all in Japanese.
Despite her dimunitive size -- fan sources indicate that she stands 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) tall and weighs 39.9 kg (88 lb)[1] (http://chiaki-kuriyama.zanlius.com/profile.html) -- Kuriyama creates a distinctive onscreen presence through her ability to appear alternately, or in some cases simultaneously, winsome and menacing. Thus, her career, especially her Battle Royale and Kill Bill roles, can be seen as a variation on the violent yet feminine action-hero-cum-sex-symbol type popularized in the West by examples such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Tomb Raider.
Kuriyama's upcoming appearances include a major roles in Azumi 2, a samurai drama, and Yōkai Daisensō, a monster movie from Takashi Miike, along with a cameo in the Steven Seagal vehicle Into the Sun.
Quotes
Complex Magazine (February/March 2004)
- "I've been playing these schoolgirl roles in all my movies. Every time I went to the set, it felt like I was going to school."
- "I loved playing Go Go, because the character's so extreme. And she's pretty close to my real character. Especially the fact that she liked her sword with a lot of accessories." (this quote is apparently in reference to accessorizing items such as cellphones)
Singapore Press' New Paper (Oct. 29, 2003)
- "Japan is very much a TV-centred entertainment industry. So when you talk about big stars in Japan, generally they are people who are on television. I work mostly in movies."
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