"It opened my eyes," says Jet Li, star of Fearless which he’s co-producing (distributed by Buena Vista International through Columbia Pictures, showing starting on Wednesday, March 1, in Metro Manila theaters). "It showed me how much people care for me. I could have died in that incident but God, I think, let me live because He has a purpose for me. You can have money, power and popularity but what’s the use if you don’t have life? I have life and I’m thankful. Now, I want to help other people. That’s part of my life now. I have put up a foundation to help other people."
Jet Li is sitting yoga-style before me at a function room of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei in a free-wheeling one-on-one. If he’s bigger-than-life on the screen, as he was in his last movie Hero, Lethal Weapon 4 (1998, with Mel Gibson) and Romeo Must Die (2000) and his dozens of other starrers, in person he’s much smaller.
"Do I believe in the afterlife?," he repeats my question. "Yes, I believe in the afterlife. That’s why while we are here on earth, we should love each other."
If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t think that he’s a world-renowned martial-arts master who started training at the Beijing Martial Arts Academy at the age of nine and at 11, captured the title of China’s National Martial Arts Champion that earned him a slot on the prestigious Beijing Martial Arts Team that toured America. In 1974, the Team performed a two-man fight for then President Richard Nixon on the White House lawn.
When he reached his mid-teens, Jet was a martial-arts coach. At 18, he had earned the title National Martial Arts Champion five times, an unprecedented and unbroken record. He retired and soon embarked on a movie career that would bring him to Hollywood.
In Fearless, directed by Ronny Yu (who has directed a few Hollywood action flicks), Jet plays Huo Yuanjia, the man who founded the Jingwu School of wushu and represented Chinese martial arts to generations, "a man who fought his way out of darkness and into history" in the first decade of the last century.
Is Fearless really your last kung fu movie?
"Not kung fu, but martial arts."
Oh, what’s the difference between "kung fu" and "martial arts"?
"A lot of difference. In Chinese, kung fu means spending a lot of time doing something. Like painting or cooking. You can do them for 10 or 20 years and people will say, ‘You’re painting kung fu very well...You’re cooking kung fu very well.’ In the story, Huo Yuanjia learns that martial arts is a spiritual challenge, not a physical one. The Chinese character for ‘martial arts’ is made up of two parts, meaning ‘stop’ and ‘war.’ The fact that martial arts is a discipline that promotes peace, not violence, is at the very heart of the story of Fearless."
How different is Fearless from your previous films?
"I made a lot of films where people use violence against violence. I always say that violence is not the only solution. Western reporters ask me, ‘Show me a movie where violence is not the only solution!’ This film will show it. I worked on this film for two years. I put my heart into it."
I understand that you’ve been developing the character Huo Yuanjia, a real person, for 10 years. Could you tell us more about Huo Yuanjia?
"He’s a great martial artist. He’s a different kind of martial artist. He didn’t believe that you have to beat up the bad guy to prove that you are good, that you are the best. You just do your best and try hard; show them how you understand life, your philosophy in life, without hurting anybody. He had his own belief. I like his philosophy very much. That’s why I want to use this film to show Huo Yuanjia’s philosophy to the audience."
Are you like Huo Yuanjia in any way?
"We did a lot of research. Like him, I started doing martial arts at an early age, at three years old. Using the martial-arts philosophy, I understand life. Through martial arts, I understand that every culture has its good things and bad things, and to find a way to balance between the good and the bad. Huo Yuanjia and I have the same ideas, the same philosophy."
As a martial artist, you have to be disciplined. How do you take care of your body?
"I focus on good things. Martial arts has taught me that people have two parts – body and the mind – and you have to take good care of both. If you only have a strong body but not a good mind, it’s bad. There should be a balance between body and mind."
So you have to keep your body healthy with the right diet and exercise. How do you keep your mind healthy?
"I’m a Buddhist. I understand more about life. I can control myself. Life is like a movie. It has a script. You control your life in the same way that the writer controls the script. It’s up to you to make your body healthy, and to also keep your mind and heart healthy."
You’re very religious.
"Yes, I am. Every religion is good. Every religion teaches people to be good and peaceful, how to care for other people. We have to help one another regardless of what religion we belong to."
You’ve done movies in Hollywood and now you’re back working in Asia. What’s the difference between the Hollywood style and the China-Hong Kong style of making movies?
"In Hollywood, there are many people who make decisions before a movie is made – you know, like you have a mother, a father, an aunt and uncle, a brother, a sister...so many people making decisions. In Asia, it’s like a small family. You only have one brother who makes the decision. So when you want to do something, it’s only you and your brother who decide and you can make a movie right away. In Asia, you have more control of what kind of movie you want to make. I don’t care about the money first. I have to make a good movie first. After you do a good movie, then you can start thinking about the money."
How was it working with Mel Gibson?
"He’s a great actor and a great man, everybody knows that. He’s very religious. He did a movie which I love very much, The Passion of The Christ. He’s a close friend; he has helped me a lot, especially when I was new in Hollywood."
What do you remember about your Team’s performance at the White House lawn?
"President Nixon was a man with a wonderful world view. Last year when I was in the States, somebody showed me the tape of that event and I listened carefully to what President Nixon was saying, ‘China is a great country; the United States and China should work with each other for the future, for the world.’ That was more than 30 years ago. Even today, people would say the same thing."
A few years ago, you were voted by E!Online as one of the Top 25 Sexiest Men in Showbiz. Do you consider yourself a sex symbol; do you find yourself sexy?
"People give me description. For myself, I just do my best and if people like me, that’s good. I don’t care too much if people consider me sexy. It’s their opinion and I respect that."
Doesn’t it flatter you being called sexy?
"No, I don’t."
How do you unwind?
"I watch movies. I read books. I go to other places – India, Taiwan, etc. – to learn more about Buddhism."
Okay, describe Jet Li briefly.
"He’s a person who loves people."