he upcoming martial-arts epic Hero represents a departure as much for its star, Jet Li, as it does for the film's director, Zhang Yimou. Yimou, the filmmaker responsible for such Chinese Fifth Wave classics as Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern and To Live, finally makes his foray into the world of action pictures, and wisely enlisted Hong Kong star Li (The One) to provide the visceral yang to his own meditative yin. Conversely, Li found his acting muscles put to the test when he shared the screen with such industry legends as Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen and Zhang Ziyi.
Jet Li, who also starred in Romeo Must Die and Kiss of the Dragon, recently sat down with Science Fiction Weekly to discuss the unique challenges presented him by director Yimou and the material contained in the script. As Li revealed, his own gradual discovery of real-world philosophies not only informed his character, who is called Nameless, but allowed the performer to evolve as an actor as his career expands around the globe.
Do you think your best martial-arts work is on display in this movie?
Li: I don't think martial arts is very important in this film. I did a lot of martial-arts films before, even ancient stories [like this one], but this was very special and unique for me because the director used martial arts to tell his story. When you watch the film, it's not just martial arts. It's much deeper, much wider.
Can you discuss the film's spiritual analogies in a cinematic and cultural context?
Li: I think 200 years ago, in Chinese culture, trust is very important. Like samurais; even though they have different opinions, they're very proud about each other. Before I kill you, we shake hands first, then run away, twist again [and shoot]. But we can't see that kind of culture in modern day. Usually action films have a formula: The good guy finds trouble, his wife died or his friends have problems, so he goes to the mountain, learns martial arts, comes back and kills the bad guy. But in this film, we talk about a totally different angle with my character.
In the beginning, he wants to kill the king; his parents died and he spent 10 years learning martial arts, and if somebody's 10 steps in front of him, [they would] die for sure. But through this journey he becomes confused by the things. He needs to kill the king, but who can guarantee the next king is better than him or not? If he killed him, maybe it would cause more problems and more people would die in the future. So he gave the information and said, "Look, people just want peace. If you can give that, I walk away." I think that's the whole point.
What kind of Chinese legends did you grow up learning about?
Li: I learned that there were three levels in learning martial arts. One is the first level, the physical part. You have a sword, it's part of your body; that talks about skill and physical contact. The second level of martial arts [says] you don't have a sword, but your heart is the sword. You use your heart to scare them before physical combat, and you can stop the war before fighting. Use your knowledge and use a different kind of power to stop the war. The third level is you don't have a sword; even your heart doesn't have a sword. What's left is love. All the main religions talk about the same thing. Love people, even your enemy. I believed this kind of message.
What was it like working with Zhang Yimou?
Li: He's one of the most famous directors in China. He made a lot of great films, but not action films. This is the first action film. Of course, he's the artist, so he wants something that [action stars] never think about, like working with your co-star but you can't see your co-star on the set. He knows shooting the man, the boy in the morning is better because the girl wakes up, and if he waits until the sun is shining, the light is smoother and the girl is more beautiful. That's his way, waiting for a few days for [perfect] lighting, [saying,] "The light is coming." He wanted to dye the hair of 500 horses black. We spent seven days waiting while they changed the color of the horses. So he had a very unique way, angle to see things.
What emotional challenges did he give you?
Li: I think the most important [challenge] is how to tell the story. How to use martial arts. He knows martial arts is not the major subject; he just uses it, and I believe he did a wonderful job.
How is the industry different than when you first started?
Li: [The industry] changes in different ways, but filmmaking has a lot of technology that helps. You use different angles, a different "something" to help the actor do a lot of stuff. I think for the physical part, everybody has two arms, two legs, and we already do it the best way we can, but now we can focus on the style and the details. Like in the 1980s, if two men fight, they just fight. But right now, we can imagine some water raining and the sword [splashing] through the water onto your face. There are more things, and a different angle to see things.
How much was involved in the shooting of the scene on the lake?
Li: At the real location, we were waiting days, because they only had two hours when the lake looks like a mirror so you can see the people's shadow at the same time. After two hours, the wind comes in, the waters are shaking and it wasn't clear. Because the actors spent many years to try to make this film, a few days for [Zhang Yimou] is nothing, [but] everybody just enjoyed waiting because he wanted it. I remember for one scene in the beginning of the movie when I walked into the palace, I walked for seven days. You have a hundred people walking around me, but we don't have much lighting. You can see the shadow from their uniform only from 2:30 to 4:00 in the afternoon, because then the sun shines and you can see some shining from their costumes.
How difficult were the acting challenges on this project?
Li: I think all the actors and actresses in this film are acting much better than me. Maggie Cheung got an award from the Cannes festival, and the other man got an award from the other film festival. Everybody is a great actor and actress. But they spent a lot of time learning martial arts on this film. In the beginning, I knew all the co-stars were great actors and I'm not, but the director just told me every day, "Jet, forget acting. Even the character goes to the end of the movie, he doesn't know what to do, to kill or not, so just forget and do it naturally." So I just listened to him and did my best.
What about this film connects with people so strongly?
Li: I think the way the director shot it was not like a normal action film. The color is beautiful, and each frame is like a painting. People tried to show this two years ago in the States so it could get nominated for an Oscar; not just Best Foreign Film, maybe it can get the other nomination. But we didn't have a chance, and in the past two years somebody tried to recut it [for American audiences], looping [the dialogue] in English. But I'm glad right now we still kept it the original way.
How much of the film's effects were CGI and how many were created on set?
Li: We used a few thousand people as real soldiers on the set. Of course, there are some special effects there, like the arrows are not real. But the location is, I think, 95 to 98 percent real. Running through the water was a special effect, and the sword that can spear the water, we don't have that. It's special effects. Overall, maybe 10 percent.
How do you see your character's final sacrifice in the film?
Li: In real life, if I was really that character I would do the same thing. I think Asian culture is very different from Western culture. From my understanding, in Western heroes, you need to protect your family, your wife, your children, even your dog. The second thing is protect the city, and the third is protecting your country. But for a Chinese or Asian hero, it's their country first, then city, then home. So we always grew up with adults telling us, "That's a hero, see. Walks by his home three times, didn't come back to see his wife, he is the man." In Western culture [they would say], "He's the man? He's not taking responsibility. He walks home, he needs to see his wife, say hello. What kind of man is he?" So it's a different angle to see the same thing. But I respect what this character is doing.
Did making this film change you or the way you look at your career?
Li: Before this film I already became a Buddhist, and I learned about life, the universe, different cultures, why people are arguing, why parents argue with their children, bosses argue with their employees. Because of different angles, they see things differently. This film just gave me the opportunity to work with a different kind of director than I usually expect. I followed his ideas and trusted him to develop them.
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