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On the silver screen, Jet Li has proven to be so tough that he's not only killed just about every opponent he's ever faced, but he's kicked his own butt a few times for good measure. At 41 years old, the Jet still possesses the agility and grace of a Shaolin soldier half his age.
But after 25 years of putting fists to faces and swords to flesh, Li wanted a new kick and found it a few years ago courtesy of renowned director Yimou Zhang. The lensman co-wrote and directed the 2002 film "Ying Xiong," which has grossed more than $100 million dollars overseas.
In the movie, which takes place in ancient China, Li plays a mysterious traveler who upon meeting with the King of Qin, tells stories of allegiance and betrayal and battles with three deadly assassins.
Quentin Tarantino and Miramax have brought "Ying Xiong" to the United States, and though they've changed the name to "Hero," unlike some of Li's other repackaged imports, the flick has kept its integrity. The action sequences are like moving Picasso paintings with their ebullient colors and precise motions, and the actors are so fierce, you feel their pain and passion despite the use of subtitles.
MTV News' Shaheem Reid sat down recently with Li to talk about bad guys, good movies and sharing the screen with Aaliyah, DMX and Jackie Chan.
MTV: What's so remarkable about this movie is not just the action, but that you guys took time to build a real story.
Jet Li: The first time I got the script, I really was moved by the character in the story. I cried twice. I've made a lot of action films before, and usually action films have their formula: The good guy has trouble and then his parents or other family [get involved] and people die. Then [the hero] goes to the mountains, learns martial arts, comes back, kills the bad guys and gets revenge. Or, the cop has a problem, but they solve the problem and kill the bad guys. Usually the end of the movie is kill the bad guy and [my character] becomes the man, he becomes the hero.
MTV: But this film is much deeper than that.
Li: Yes. When you watch, you cannot find the bad guy. There is no bad guy in the movie. From different angles, [all the characters] have their own opinions. Usually when I watch an action film or I make an action film, it's violent — a lot of violent movements. But I think violence is not the only solution. Maybe we can make another martial arts film with more meaning in it, more story, a little bit deeper. And then I got this script and that's why I was very happy.
MTV: How did you feel about an American studio bringing the film to the U.S.?
Li: In the beginning, the director and I were worried. We know Asian people can understand the story, the characters, but what about Americans? The studio, a lot of people give different opinions: "You can re-cut; find an American director and re-cut." Or "Dub it into English." But I keep saying that I want to keep the original way to show to the audience. We want to show the Chinese culture. You cannot change it too much, like, "Hey, man. What's up? I want to kill you, man!" Not this movie. Maybe other movies, OK, right. I remember several years ago with "The Black Mask" coming here, dubbing to English, I feel I'm watching a different person. I didn't feel familiar with my own [character's] voice! So it's quite strange.
MTV: All the fighting scenes look so intricate. What was it like shooting them?
Li: I remember one location is 10 or 12 hours from the city. It has a beautiful lake, but the director wants to see the lake look like a mirror without [the water] moving so you can see two guys fighting in the air, but also you can see them in the lake. It was difficult because of the weather. Sometimes you have small wind and the water's [moving], so you cannot see shadows in the lake. But we could only shoot 12 hours a day. It would take a few weeks to finish one scene. Also, the actors — like me — were just hanging in the air, waiting for the water. It's very embarrassing. You want to go to the bathroom, and you're just hanging in the air and all these people are watching you. It's quite difficult. But I'm delighted in the picture. It looks very amazing. A lot of people thought it was blue screen, but no, it was a real location.
MTV: In this film it's all about you using the sword, but you've also established yourself as one of the deadliest dudes with your hands and feet. Which type of combat do you like to engage in most?
Li: I think both ways are OK, but it depends what kind of story. Like "Hero," I use weapons and it's easy for me to show my style, my Jet Li style. You have me, you have movement, it's pretty. But some stories, like "Romeo Must Die," you need a street fight.
MTV: In that movie you got to work with Aaliyah and DMX. What was that like?
Li: Aaliyah, she was a very charming, very sweet girl. I think that her first film was "Romeo Must Die," but she acted just very naturally. I was very surprised. I love her and she's still here in my heart. DMX is like a big boy. When he concentrates on working, he just works very hard. But if he goes somewhere else [in his head], nobody controls him. He plays with little motor cars on the set. Nobody can control him. He's like a boy. He's a cool boy.
MTV: Obviously "Romeo Must Die" helped put you over the top with American audiences, but you also turned heads in "Lethal Weapon 4." When are we going to see you as a bad guy again?
Li: I think if it's a good story I can play the villain again, but a lot of audiences don't want me to do that, especially in Asia. In China they don't want Jet Li to become the bad guy. They don't want the young audience to learn something bad from you.
MTV: Well, the two major Asian action heroes are yourself and Jackie Chan. There's been talk of the two of you making a film together. Is that ever going to happen?
Li: Oh, Jackie Chan is a friend of mine. We've talked about making a movie together for many years. [We would do it] either in Hong Kong or here. We talked about it a lot, but for some reason it never happened. I don't know, we need to see about it in the future. We've had some scripts already. I hope that one day we can make a movie together.
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Photo: Miramax
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