About.com recetnly talked with Jet Li about his latest movie War. Check what he said below:
Jet Li on Martial Arts Movies and Playing a Violent Character When I walked onto the set of War, Jet Li was slouching on a chair, a position we never see on screen. But once action was called, he sprang to life, chasing his nemesis with a sword in the rubble of an exploded car dealership. On a break, we got to speak with the more calm incarnation of Jet Li, who plays a Chinese assassin in the US in his upcoming film.
War Isn’t a Martial Arts Movie: “Our movie, this character, I never played this kind of character before because myself, I don’t know whether he’s good or bad. That really depends later when you see the movie. When the audience sees the movie, they decide. I only know this character is very violent and has a reason. Something [he] always keeps in his heart, his belief. The other movies I play, a lot of characters are very clearly good guys or a cop or the master in Chinese films. Very straightforward from the top to the end.
This one, he’s violent and there’s a big difference between a martial arts movie and this kind of movie. A martial arts movie, like recently I made Fearless, it doesn’t just have martial arts. It also has philosophy. How to use martial arts just for violence to kill people, or you can use martial arts to stop something, to help people. How you use it, just like a weapon. A weapon is not good and not bad. It really depends on the person using it. So martial arts has a lot of culture behind physical moves. This, I don’t think is a martial arts movie. It is an action movie. It’s not a typical Chinese [movie] we call Kung Fu or a martial arts movie.”
The Challenge of Getting Into a Violent Character: “It’s quite difficult. Before, it was easy. Before, you’re an actor, you just do the job. You’re acting sometimes as a father, I play a father but at the time maybe I wasn’t a father yet. I played a lot of different characters. Even Lethal Weapon 4, I played the bad guy. I didn’t think it was so far [out]. It’s just the past maybe eight years, I became a Buddhist, I always say violence is not the only solution. I made a few movies, one is Hero, one is Danny the Dog, one is Fearless. I think [those] three movies continue to talk about my personal belief that violence is not the only solution. I try, through the film, to talk about my personal belief. When I suddenly go back to this very violent character, I’m struggling. So you need to be very clear you’re just an actor. Even though I don’t agree with what this guy is doing, I need to do it best. When I go to the set, I forget I’m Jet Li first. I’m [part of] this world. Then I go back, even when I go home, I think, ‘Oh, why am I doing this?’ So I need to know it’s not me, it’s somebody else.”
Accidents Happen During Filming – It’s a Fact of Life: “If somebody tells you making an action movie doesn’t hurt the other, I think he’s lying. …You’re never going to punch the other or something, for sure. For sure. But for an action actor, usually when we say ‘got injured’ that means you go to the hospital. Production stopped. Really. Then we say, ‘Oh, somebody got injured because the movie cannot [go on]. Shooting stopped.’ If they just [accidentally hit], you cut, your black and blue, you cut your nose, just go backstage, put a bandage on and continue to work. That’s just normal. That’s not ‘injured’.”
Jet Li on the Direction His Career’s Taking: Is he stepping back from martial arts movies? “No, I didn’t say that,” answered Li. “I said Fearless is my last martial arts movie because I put my heart into that character. All my belief. The physical part, the mental part, everything in that movie. I’ve been learning martial arts since I was eight years old and the character I played is a great martial artist. And also he died at 42 years. The same age when I made that movie, so I put a lot of my life experiences in that film. I said that’s the last martial arts film, because martial arts in my mind is totally different. The Chinese character, how they write about martial arts is to stop war. Stop the war or stop the fighting. The two words, put them together is martial art, like that kind of idea. The real meaning is that, so a few thousand years ago, they started martial arts meaning to stop war. But later on we take out the art, we only fight, fight, fight. Show the violence only. So I told it very clearly in that film. But this kind of film, an action film, I will continue playing [these characters and] making action films. Action - just action. You can find a lot of physical contact, fights, street fight. In my own heart it’s not about art. It’s a different type of movie.”
Rob Cohen - director of Mummy 3 posted following update on his blog:
Jet Li finally has joined us in Montreal and the production has palpably kicked up into a higher gear. As I shoot our "trekking through the Himalayas" sequence where our heroes are searching for Shangri-la, I am madly refining the Emperor/Rick O'Connell fight with stunt co-ordinators Ku Huen Chzu (known to everyone as Dede) and Mark Southworth. It's a real contrast in styles, Brendan's and Jet's, highly balletic, powerful Wushu vs. the brutal directness of Krav Maga plus magic and shape-shifting creatures leading to the the climax aided by Luke Ford and the clash of armies overhead. I have seven days to shoot it so this will be my last entry until China. We wrap here next Thursday; then I'm off to L.A. for less than twenty-four (obstetrician and VFX meetings with D.D. and R&H) then straight to Beijing and Tian Mo, the desert three hours north of the capitol.
I'm stoked by what's ahead, editing with Joel Negron and Kelly Matsumoto as I go and encouraged by the early shape of things are taking. We are putting the pipelines in place to create the some 700 visual effects shots: the Terracotta Army, the Yeti and much, much more (I have to leave some surprises.)
Brendan, Jet, Jet's right-hand men Jason and Vincent, and I had a warm, collegiate dinner last Saturday night and, for two guys who have to kick the shit out of each other, there was a true camaraderie. Jet spoke to us a lot about his ONE FOUNDATION (link listed on the blog) and the true greatness of him as a human being came through. When this man talks about how we can help those that need it, how we can take our resources and invest them in the poor, to "share the love" as he said over and over, you really feel the depth of his soul. I'm supporting his foundation now because his cause is all of ours: trying to do whatever we can to make this a better educated and healthier world. I hope you will check out the One Foundation and find a way to join his great effort.
My wife Barbara and I thank all of you who took the time to send us good wishes on our new pregnancy. It has made me feel very close to all of you and to re-double my efforts to make "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" a spectacular entertainment which will put a new mojo spin on a set of characters and a state of mind we've enjoyed in the first two. I've decided to put a few new photos on the site to give you a closer look at the stars. They all have been shining with equal light.
SCI FI Wire had a chance to talk with Maria Bello who recently replaced Rachel Weisz in the Mummy 3. Below you can read what she said:
"She has the same name, but she's a very different character than Rachel played," Bello said in an interview. "She's a bad-ass action chick. I had to train a lot. I had to do wushu, a martial-art form, some kickboxing, swordfighting, rifle training for a couple of months before we even started shooting." Bello added: "It's the role of my dreams. It is just a blast."
Bello will soon join co-stars Brendan Fraser and Jet Li for two months of shooting in China.
Bello said that after a few weeks of rehearsal, she sustained a black eye after getting butted by a Winchester rifle, but added that she's fine now. "I'm looking forward to the doll, too, though," she said cryptically. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens Aug. 1, 2008
Not a member yet? Click here to register. Forgotten your password? Request a new one here.
Shoutbox
You must login to post a message.
Soufian Boulaich 11/08/2008 22:09 Hi Jet,
I would like a photo dedicated for my birthday
please Jet Li !!!
Thank you so much !
Soufian Boulaich
Soufian Boulaich 31/07/2008 18:36 BOULAICH Soufian
4, rue de Neuvic
67100 STRASBOURG FRANCE
soufian.boulaich@yahoo.fr
03 88 84 82 72
Hi Jet Li,
My name is Soufian Boulaich, I am 21 years old, I am born on September, 28
Soufian Boulaich 31/07/2008 18:30 Hi Jet Li,
I would like for my birthday, on, September,28th, 2008, I will be 23 years old, I would like a photo dedicated, please Jet Li !!!
Thank you !
I love you!
Soufian Boulaich, the Moroccan
janineann 17/07/2008 12:58 Jet I love you, can you send me your picture with your autograph....God bless..More poewer.
janineann 17/07/2008 12:56 I love You Jet LI
I Love and Like all of your movies
Please dont stop to do some martial arts movie
secretbear 13/07/2008 05:56 i can't wait for The Mummy! Jet Li is the only reason why i will watch that. ^__^
esper888 11/07/2008 21:38 Its me again.Can you please send me a photo of yours with signature.Thanks
esper888 11/07/2008 21:35 hi Jet, i'm your loyal fan here in U.K. a filipina.Please continue making films you're still young.I love watching your films.You're really very fast.More power.God bless you and your fami
Maja 20/03/2008 20:05 JET LI YOU ARE THE ONE JET LI YPU ARE THE BEST
Portal
Downloads
Merchandise
Interact
Downloads
- lots of files related with Jet Li - AIM icons, movie trailers,
wallpapers, screensavers and a gallery with over thousand of pictures.
Merchandise
- here you can buy any Jet Li dvd, poster or postcard with Jet :)
