The 26-year-old, who was virtually unknown a year ago, said she grew up wondering why Japanese actresses rarely made it big overseas.

"But then, I've been told it's because Japanese actresses look weak and diluted on celluloid -- they're often uncomfortable about coming on strong," Kikuchi told the Japan Times.

"I guess that's true," she said. "After all, it's part of our culture to value excessive modesty, right? But I'm more motivated."

"Babel," which received seven Oscar nominations, also stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in a multilingual drama interweaving three storylines unfolding around the globe.

Kikuchi mastered sign language and bared all her body to play the role of Chieko, a deaf schoolgirl who is struggling to find an outlet for her sexual desire and cope with her mother's suicide.

"I felt that if anyone could do this it was going to be me," Kikuchi told the paper. "There's just no other way to describe it. It had to be me."

"Babel," which was directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, is being heavily promoted in Japan ahead of its release here next week.