I didnt expect Jet Li to hardly speak any English when I met him. It turns out that he spends hours learning to speak his lines in American movies in order for them to sound natural. But that didnt stop me from having a great conversation with the man. Hes so intense in his movies but in person he was jolly and it was a real pleasure to make a DMX joke and have a smile break across his face.
I got a chance to talk with Jet Li about his movie Hero which is finally getting a release from Miramax in the United States, upcoming projects and kicking ass and taking names.
Check out the official website for Hero
Daniel Robert Epstein: When doing Hero, did you have any kind of different attitude after doing some American films?
Jet Li: I wanted to go back to China. Hero was made in 2001. I spent six months in mainland China and it was good to go back, even though my
English is better than my Chinese. [laughs]
DRE: Do you find it strange talking about a movie you made in 2001?
JL:: A little bit. This movie already showed in Asia and Europe three years ago, Ive already forgotten the movie and now I have to promote the movie again in the US.
DRE: Did you watch it so you could remember what the movie was about?
JL:: I remember. This was a very good movie and Im proud to have made it.
DRE: Did you go back and read some of the history of the Emperor?
JL:: Everybody knows about this King, he unified China and the languages and everything. But this story is totally different.
DRE: Do you feel the way hes represented here is accurate?
JL:: I think the director based the story on history, but its not a true story. The emperor is more idealized.
DRE: When you watch any of your movies, Hero specifically, do you feel that there were things that you could have done better?
JL:: Yeah, usually after you make the movie, youll sit in the theaters, hiding somewhere, trying to see the audiences reaction. When theyre yelling, I understand why theyre yelling, Im happy. At some point, they wont like it, and Ill feel like I should have done something better but I didnt feel that way. I trusted the director because hes the most famous director in Mainland China.
DRE: Is this the first time you worked with him?
JL:: Yes, weve known each other for a long time, for about 10 years. When we first met I asked if we could work together one day on an action film and he said, "No." He said I had a baby face. He said I need to wait until one day he could see I was a man and that there was a lot of pain on my face, then I could make a movie with you. Six years later he sent me the script for Hero and said, "I could see youre very painful right now" [laughs].
DRE: What pain were you experiencing at the time?
JL:: Maybe learning English [laughs].
DRE: How was it working again with Donnie Yen?
JL:: Originally another actor was to play his role and I got him fired. I told the director to fire him because I wanted to invite Donnie Yen. A lot of audience, through my website, said they wanted to see me fight Donnie Yen again because we hadnt done it since Once Upon A Time in China, so I invited Donnie Yen to do the movie.
DRE: Hero was nominated for an Oscar last year. Why did it take so long to get a US release? Are you worried that people might have already seen it on DVD?
JL:: Of course. I know lots of people, Chinese people, Asian people and American people who love Asian movies and have already seen the DVD. A Hong Kong company already calculated that theyll lose 20 million dollars because of DVD sales.
DRE: When you watch American action movies, do you wonder what they spent the money on?
JL:: I think its because, in America, they have different unions and they have a lot of different rules. Also the studio has many people involved, producer, associate producer and executive producer. But in mainland China, a lot of people work seven days a week for lower cost, no trailers, only the cute actors have trailers and even the director doesnt have a trailer.
I dont think Hero is a normal action film. There was no bad guy in the entire film, just different characters and different points of view and a different type of ending. In the last 30 minutes of the movie, there isnt any fighting; we just talk, between my character and the king. Its the biggest budgeted Chinese movie ever made in Asia. It took $20 million US dollars to make and then it made $100 Million dollars in Asia.
DRE: How did you approach this movie, as opposed to an English language one?
JL:: Its much easier because its my mother language, but when you work with this kind of director, theres a lot of pressure because he is very successful and I never know what he needs. But after awhile I know hes a very serious director. Sometimes we only take two or three shots a day. He only does the mens shots in the morning and the girls in the afternoon. He says, girls, when they wake up in the morning, their faces are a little swollen and in the afternoon they look pretty. He never feels time is important. If he wants to see some shots in the sunshine, hell wait all day, thats it.
DRE: I know some people can recognize people just by their fighting styles. If you were wearing a mask and fighting Donnie Yen would he be able to recognize you?
JL:: It really depends on the character. For this character, I learned how to walk, for seven days, it looks easy, but its not. The director would ask me to think about how a man, 2,000 years ago, would walk. You spend a lot of time learning the details of the character.
I think more about the stories, not the fighting styles. Last year, I finished Unleashed, which will be released next spring, is a totally different kind of action film, like a drama-action film.
DRE: You work with a lot of different stunt choreographers, is there anyone in particular you like?
JL:: I always work with three choreographers, one is Woo Ping, who did The Matrix, the other is Corey Yuen who did Romeo Must Die, and the other one is Cheung-Yan Yuen.
DRE: When you fight, you move incredibly fast, do you do that on purpose, or is that just the way you move?
JL:: I think its just the way I move. Ive been learning martial arts since I was eight years old so Ive been doing it for more than 30 years. If people just learn how to fight, for a few months, just to play that character, its quite difficult to for them so I believe that if you tell Jet Li to become a tennis player I wouldnt be very good at it.
DRE: Could you slow it down?
JL:: You can slow it down, but you cant show the power and the energy inside your body.
DRE: How did you get started on martial arts at eight years old?
JL:: At that time, in the 1970s, when its summertime, normal schools all send their students to sports school. There, the coach will do some tests and tell you what sport youre good at. They chose me to learn martial arts. I didnt know anything about martial arts so I just learned.
DRE: Have you ever wanted to something different, like a romantic comedy?
JL:: I want to try, but its difficult. I think its also difficult for the studio. Even for a movie like Hero, if I showed the script to the studios and said I want to make this kind of film they might not want to make it. Thats why we went to China to make this movie. If I want to make a movie where Im not the hero, where Im the bad man, no studio would want to make it.
DRE: Do you think people who saw films like Cradle 2 the Grave will be able to enjoy this film?
JL:: I dont know. Miramax decides how to promote the film. An Asian reporter already mentioned that this isnt a martial arts film, but a lot the way theyre showing it in the States makes it look like a martial arts film.
DRE: Are there any other movies you want to make?
JL:: I want to make one film where Im a monk in New York. I paid money for the studio to write it and when they saw the script, they didnt want to make it because there wasnt a lot of fighting in it. I bought the script back, and hopefully I will get to make it.
DRE: When is Unleashed is coming out?
JL:: Spring 2005 from Focus Features.
DRE: Do you regret not being in The Matrix Reloaded or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?
JL:: I turned down The Matrix, because if I made that movie, I couldnt make Hero. They wanted me for 18 months to do those two movies, but in 18 months I needed to make Hero and The One.
As for Crouching Tiger, I promised my wife that if she were pregnant, I would stop working until the baby was delivered. I talked to Ang Lee, said sorry and told him the reason.
DRE: How about doing a movie with Jackie Chan?
JL:: 10 years ago, we tried to make it work but then a few years ago they tried to find a writer and for some reason it didnt work.
DRE: How many kids do you have now?
JL:: Four kids.
DRE: Now that you have four kids, are there certain lessons that you would teach them from making movies or from living in the US and China?
JL:: I give them a lot of freedoms, not like myself. I couldnt screw up or make decisions because then only the government or teachers made the decisions. I gave them choice and freedom. Well try to give them a good education in China and then when theyre 14, come back to the States to study American culture and English. Itll be better for them in the future.
DRE: After making Hero, are you going to do more Chinese language movies or are you still just looking at different options?
JL:: I need to find a way to balance between commercial action films and making something I really want to make. You need to find a balance.
DRE: How about more science fiction things?
JL:: I think its difficult right now. After a big box office hit, the studio will give you more of a chance. I think thats a good way to do it.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
I got a chance to talk with Jet Li about his movie Hero which is finally getting a release from Miramax in the United States, upcoming projects and kicking ass and taking names.
Check out the official website for Hero
Daniel Robert Epstein: When doing Hero, did you have any kind of different attitude after doing some American films?
Jet Li: I wanted to go back to China. Hero was made in 2001. I spent six months in mainland China and it was good to go back, even though my
English is better than my Chinese. [laughs]
DRE: Do you find it strange talking about a movie you made in 2001?
JL:: A little bit. This movie already showed in Asia and Europe three years ago, Ive already forgotten the movie and now I have to promote the movie again in the US.
DRE: Did you watch it so you could remember what the movie was about?
JL:: I remember. This was a very good movie and Im proud to have made it.
DRE: Did you go back and read some of the history of the Emperor?
JL:: Everybody knows about this King, he unified China and the languages and everything. But this story is totally different.
DRE: Do you feel the way hes represented here is accurate?
JL:: I think the director based the story on history, but its not a true story. The emperor is more idealized.
DRE: When you watch any of your movies, Hero specifically, do you feel that there were things that you could have done better?
JL:: Yeah, usually after you make the movie, youll sit in the theaters, hiding somewhere, trying to see the audiences reaction. When theyre yelling, I understand why theyre yelling, Im happy. At some point, they wont like it, and Ill feel like I should have done something better but I didnt feel that way. I trusted the director because hes the most famous director in Mainland China.
DRE: Is this the first time you worked with him?
JL:: Yes, weve known each other for a long time, for about 10 years. When we first met I asked if we could work together one day on an action film and he said, "No." He said I had a baby face. He said I need to wait until one day he could see I was a man and that there was a lot of pain on my face, then I could make a movie with you. Six years later he sent me the script for Hero and said, "I could see youre very painful right now" [laughs].
DRE: What pain were you experiencing at the time?
JL:: Maybe learning English [laughs].
DRE: How was it working again with Donnie Yen?
JL:: Originally another actor was to play his role and I got him fired. I told the director to fire him because I wanted to invite Donnie Yen. A lot of audience, through my website, said they wanted to see me fight Donnie Yen again because we hadnt done it since Once Upon A Time in China, so I invited Donnie Yen to do the movie.
DRE: Hero was nominated for an Oscar last year. Why did it take so long to get a US release? Are you worried that people might have already seen it on DVD?
JL:: Of course. I know lots of people, Chinese people, Asian people and American people who love Asian movies and have already seen the DVD. A Hong Kong company already calculated that theyll lose 20 million dollars because of DVD sales.
DRE: When you watch American action movies, do you wonder what they spent the money on?
JL:: I think its because, in America, they have different unions and they have a lot of different rules. Also the studio has many people involved, producer, associate producer and executive producer. But in mainland China, a lot of people work seven days a week for lower cost, no trailers, only the cute actors have trailers and even the director doesnt have a trailer.
I dont think Hero is a normal action film. There was no bad guy in the entire film, just different characters and different points of view and a different type of ending. In the last 30 minutes of the movie, there isnt any fighting; we just talk, between my character and the king. Its the biggest budgeted Chinese movie ever made in Asia. It took $20 million US dollars to make and then it made $100 Million dollars in Asia.
DRE: How did you approach this movie, as opposed to an English language one?
JL:: Its much easier because its my mother language, but when you work with this kind of director, theres a lot of pressure because he is very successful and I never know what he needs. But after awhile I know hes a very serious director. Sometimes we only take two or three shots a day. He only does the mens shots in the morning and the girls in the afternoon. He says, girls, when they wake up in the morning, their faces are a little swollen and in the afternoon they look pretty. He never feels time is important. If he wants to see some shots in the sunshine, hell wait all day, thats it.
DRE: I know some people can recognize people just by their fighting styles. If you were wearing a mask and fighting Donnie Yen would he be able to recognize you?
JL:: It really depends on the character. For this character, I learned how to walk, for seven days, it looks easy, but its not. The director would ask me to think about how a man, 2,000 years ago, would walk. You spend a lot of time learning the details of the character.
I think more about the stories, not the fighting styles. Last year, I finished Unleashed, which will be released next spring, is a totally different kind of action film, like a drama-action film.
DRE: You work with a lot of different stunt choreographers, is there anyone in particular you like?
JL:: I always work with three choreographers, one is Woo Ping, who did The Matrix, the other is Corey Yuen who did Romeo Must Die, and the other one is Cheung-Yan Yuen.
DRE: When you fight, you move incredibly fast, do you do that on purpose, or is that just the way you move?
JL:: I think its just the way I move. Ive been learning martial arts since I was eight years old so Ive been doing it for more than 30 years. If people just learn how to fight, for a few months, just to play that character, its quite difficult to for them so I believe that if you tell Jet Li to become a tennis player I wouldnt be very good at it.
DRE: Could you slow it down?
JL:: You can slow it down, but you cant show the power and the energy inside your body.
DRE: How did you get started on martial arts at eight years old?
JL:: At that time, in the 1970s, when its summertime, normal schools all send their students to sports school. There, the coach will do some tests and tell you what sport youre good at. They chose me to learn martial arts. I didnt know anything about martial arts so I just learned.
DRE: Have you ever wanted to something different, like a romantic comedy?
JL:: I want to try, but its difficult. I think its also difficult for the studio. Even for a movie like Hero, if I showed the script to the studios and said I want to make this kind of film they might not want to make it. Thats why we went to China to make this movie. If I want to make a movie where Im not the hero, where Im the bad man, no studio would want to make it.
DRE: Do you think people who saw films like Cradle 2 the Grave will be able to enjoy this film?
JL:: I dont know. Miramax decides how to promote the film. An Asian reporter already mentioned that this isnt a martial arts film, but a lot the way theyre showing it in the States makes it look like a martial arts film.
DRE: Are there any other movies you want to make?
JL:: I want to make one film where Im a monk in New York. I paid money for the studio to write it and when they saw the script, they didnt want to make it because there wasnt a lot of fighting in it. I bought the script back, and hopefully I will get to make it.
DRE: When is Unleashed is coming out?
JL:: Spring 2005 from Focus Features.
DRE: Do you regret not being in The Matrix Reloaded or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?
JL:: I turned down The Matrix, because if I made that movie, I couldnt make Hero. They wanted me for 18 months to do those two movies, but in 18 months I needed to make Hero and The One.
As for Crouching Tiger, I promised my wife that if she were pregnant, I would stop working until the baby was delivered. I talked to Ang Lee, said sorry and told him the reason.
DRE: How about doing a movie with Jackie Chan?
JL:: 10 years ago, we tried to make it work but then a few years ago they tried to find a writer and for some reason it didnt work.
DRE: How many kids do you have now?
JL:: Four kids.
DRE: Now that you have four kids, are there certain lessons that you would teach them from making movies or from living in the US and China?
JL:: I give them a lot of freedoms, not like myself. I couldnt screw up or make decisions because then only the government or teachers made the decisions. I gave them choice and freedom. Well try to give them a good education in China and then when theyre 14, come back to the States to study American culture and English. Itll be better for them in the future.
DRE: After making Hero, are you going to do more Chinese language movies or are you still just looking at different options?
JL:: I need to find a way to balance between commercial action films and making something I really want to make. You need to find a balance.
DRE: How about more science fiction things?
JL:: I think its difficult right now. After a big box office hit, the studio will give you more of a chance. I think thats a good way to do it.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 25 of 25 COMMENTS
It was a beautiful film, it's more of an artistic historic re-enactment. Rather than a fist fishting bow blazing movie.