DEPESHA magazine exclusive: Making of Pirelli 2012 Calendar by Mario Sorrenti .

Rinko Kikuchi landed her first professional role in the Japanese film Ikitai (To Live) in 1999.

Since then, she began displaying her talent as an actress starring in critically acclaimed Japanese films such as Hole In The Sky (2002) and The Taste of Tea (2004) and gaining popularity within Japan’s film industry.

It was not long before she was catapulted onto the international scene with her Academy Award nominated role for Best Supporting Actress in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Babel (2006).

Kikuchi is the first Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in 50 years. She is currently Japan’s only living female Academy Award nominee in acting categories.

DEPESHA magazine exclusive: Making of Pirelli 2012 Calendar by Mario Sorrenti .