lethal
08-25-2004, 04:26 PM
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/archive/2004/08/25/jetlihero.DTL
This is an article in the SF Chronicle about "Hero."
However, I want to focus on a few quotes from Jet Li.
Li believes the debate over the nature of heroism is likely to be divided along cultural lines. "Asia and the West have very different ways of thinking," he says. "In Asia, people believe that heroes should say, 'My family is not important. My city is not important. The most important thing is my country. If I have no country, how can I have a city? If I have no city, how can I have a family?' But in the West, the priorities go the other way. The hero must protect his wife, his daughter, his son, his dog. He would say, 'If I can't protect my family, how can I protect my city? If I can't protect my city, how can I protect my nation?' So Americans may find Nameless's behavior strange, but Chinese people will understand."
That sense of difference -- that gap in cultural comprehension -- is something Li still feels daily, even though he has now lived and worked in the United States for half a decade. "When American people see a Chinese guy on screen, they still think, 'Oh, you must know how to fight.' Not, 'Oh, you're a smart guy. You're a nice guy' -- it's always, 'Oh, you must know martial arts,'" says Li.
"It's frustrating, because Hollywood only expects a certain thing from me. There are a lot of movies I want to make, and the studios aren't interested -- and it's not just me," he adds, noting that director John Woo and actor Jackie Chan, for all their success, face the same roadblocks.
Li, whose Buddhist faith has grown deeper over the years, now finds himself in the awkward position of being a natural pacifist stuck playing stereotypically violent roles. "I know that this is a business, and people want a guarantee that a movie will make money. If I'm the studio president, I would make the same decision," he says. "But it's always the same formula, again, again, again. 'Oh, "Romeo Must Die" makes $60 million, so let's put Jet Li with another black actor. Let's have Jet play a robot fighting machine, or a secret agent. As long as we spend less than $30 million, that's OK.'
"I think that for all Asian actors, it's the same situation," Li adds. "But I feel like I have a responsibility. I don't want young Western people to just be looking at Asians and saying, 'OK, man, I'm going to kick your ass.'"
Reading this, I think he actually understands the Asian American experience to some degree and he does have a social conscience. I applaud him for fighting the good fight.
This is an article in the SF Chronicle about "Hero."
However, I want to focus on a few quotes from Jet Li.
Li believes the debate over the nature of heroism is likely to be divided along cultural lines. "Asia and the West have very different ways of thinking," he says. "In Asia, people believe that heroes should say, 'My family is not important. My city is not important. The most important thing is my country. If I have no country, how can I have a city? If I have no city, how can I have a family?' But in the West, the priorities go the other way. The hero must protect his wife, his daughter, his son, his dog. He would say, 'If I can't protect my family, how can I protect my city? If I can't protect my city, how can I protect my nation?' So Americans may find Nameless's behavior strange, but Chinese people will understand."
That sense of difference -- that gap in cultural comprehension -- is something Li still feels daily, even though he has now lived and worked in the United States for half a decade. "When American people see a Chinese guy on screen, they still think, 'Oh, you must know how to fight.' Not, 'Oh, you're a smart guy. You're a nice guy' -- it's always, 'Oh, you must know martial arts,'" says Li.
"It's frustrating, because Hollywood only expects a certain thing from me. There are a lot of movies I want to make, and the studios aren't interested -- and it's not just me," he adds, noting that director John Woo and actor Jackie Chan, for all their success, face the same roadblocks.
Li, whose Buddhist faith has grown deeper over the years, now finds himself in the awkward position of being a natural pacifist stuck playing stereotypically violent roles. "I know that this is a business, and people want a guarantee that a movie will make money. If I'm the studio president, I would make the same decision," he says. "But it's always the same formula, again, again, again. 'Oh, "Romeo Must Die" makes $60 million, so let's put Jet Li with another black actor. Let's have Jet play a robot fighting machine, or a secret agent. As long as we spend less than $30 million, that's OK.'
"I think that for all Asian actors, it's the same situation," Li adds. "But I feel like I have a responsibility. I don't want young Western people to just be looking at Asians and saying, 'OK, man, I'm going to kick your ass.'"
Reading this, I think he actually understands the Asian American experience to some degree and he does have a social conscience. I applaud him for fighting the good fight.