APRIL 17-18, 2008

How I Came to Know Jet Li

I’ve been interviewed quite often lately and a lot of people have been asking how I met Jet Li, what was it like working with him for the first time, and other similar questions. I’d like to talk in a little more detail about how I met Jet Li and our association.

The first time I saw Jet Li was many years ago. At the time, he was 11 years old and was in Hong Kong performing martial arts at the Sun Kong Theater. I went to watch the show and thought that that he was an amazing llittle kid. Years later when I was in America filming Battle Creek Brawl and trying to develop my career, I found out that Jet, who was 16 years old by then, happened to be performing nearby. I went to watch his performance and then went backstage to visit the group. This is when I first met Jet Li Lianjie (or as I called him at the time, “Jiezhai”). Afterwards, Jet told me how he remembered that day and his martial arts teacher telling them, “Jackie Chan is coming to watch you today, you all need to give it your best.”

Later on, Jet made the leap onto the silver screen and starred in The Shaolin Temple. Of course I went to see his movie as a show of support. His movie debut created a stir and Jet Li was instantly shot to fame. Soon afterwards, he came to Hong Kong to do promotional work and I had to go through a middle man to meet up and see him because at the time Mainland China had not yet opened to the world and Hong Kong was still under British rule. Jet was an important figure classified as a national treasure. My Mandarin at the time was not as good as it is today so I didn’t know what things I should say to him and what things I shouldn’t say.

Since China still wasn’t open to the world and Jet was a protected person, I didn’t make it very public when I went to see him. One evening, I drove to an apartment building in Mong Kok, picked up Jet, and took him to a private guest room in a hotel for dinner. After dinner I took him to The Peak to admire the night lights. The following day, I took him out for a stroll in the streets. This is how I would meet with Jet each time he came to Hong Kong.

Once when Jet came to Hong Kong, he brought along a Longquan sword as a gift for me. In return, I have him a down jacket. And this is how we associated with each other for nearly twenty years. Come to think of it, our relationship is really quite funny. We were two grown men but it was like we were having some sort of secret affair. I don’t know why we weren’t allowed to be photographed together and not allowed to let people know we were associated with each other. I just knew that the main priority was to have as little affect on Jet as possible so that is why we’ve been keeping in contact like that.

Later on, Jet began making movies in Hong Kong and he started coming here more often. Once when he was making a movie at the Golden Harvest film studio, I went to see him. This was before any of our international fans had requested that we cooperate on a film, and I made a suggestion to Jet that we both work on a project together. At the time, we were both making movies at Golden Harvest Studios, but on different sets. Between shots when we had to wait for the cameras and lighting equipment to be set up, we made use of the spare time and started discussing ideas for the scrīpt. Jet listened to my plot and he was very pleased. We both felt very excited about the project. But unfortunately, because we both belonged to different film production companies, when the two companies discussed the copyrights to the film, they had many differences. I felt so frustrated because we only wanted to cooperate and make a film that everyone would enjoy watching. Why did it have to end up being so complicated? But I guess when a company talks about business, they naturally consider their benefits first and all the problems related to their rights and interests. So that is why our plans to cooperate on a project ended up being put on the shelf and stored away.

Anyway, about a decade later, Jet and I met again in America. We talked about the old times and thought, why not reconsider the idea of working together because we were both in the states. On top of that, it was no longer just about the two of us wanting to make a film together; our fans also hoped to see us work together, and even reporters from all corners of the world were asking us when we would cooperate on a film.

At the time, there was an American company that was very interested in investing in a film that Jet and I would cooperate on, so I gave them the scrīpt that I wrote many years ago. But unfortunately, they didn’t like my scrīpt. They thought the story was too Asian flavored and too heavily influence by Chinese ideas. In the end, they spent $1 million to have another scrīpt written for me to look over. I felt helpless because I just didn’t like the story. Later, we agreed to modify this American invested scrīpt and make a few changes. Revising the scrīpt took up a good period of time and Jet and I went our separate ways again, each keeping busy with our own work.

Then finally, after so many years, The Forbidden Kingdom producer Casey Silver and director Rob Minkoff picked up the idea of the two of us working together. Over period of three years, they continually contacted my company and Jet’s company, discussing and making arrangements for our cooperation. As a result, Jet and I finally had our wish granted and we cooperated on making a movie together.

Both Jet and I were very happy working together on this film and we got along very well. If he wasn’t happy with me or if I didn’t like him, then this movie would be the first movie we worked on together, and it would also be our last. I still remember on the last day of filming, all the cast and crew were saying their farewells to each other. I went to shake Jet’s hand, gave him a hug, then quickly pulled him to one side and started talking about how we should use the scrīpt we came up with years ago, the one we really like, and make it into a film. When Jet heard me say this, he immediately agreed. We both belong to independent film production companies now so I believe the chances of working together again are very high. I hope in the not too distant future, Jet and I will work side by side on another project so we can see you all again very soon.

Apart from discussing topics related to The Forbidden Kingdom and how I came to know Jet Li, the other questions that most people asked concerned my views towards the Olympic Games. What thoughts did I have about the journey of the Olympic flame being disrupted? When will I go to Taiwan again?

Regarding the Tibetan issue and the disruption of the Olympic flame relay, I think the Tibet problem isn’t something that happened over night. There are a lot of people who don’t know the complete story and even I don’t fully understand. I only know bits and pieces about the issue from what I’ve heard in news reports. So that is why I won’t make any judgments or voice any opinions about the topic. All I know is that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are considered a grand event to everyone in the world, and the Olympic flame symbolizes hope, friendship, progress, and light. Since the Games’ origin in Greece, every city and country the flame travels to temporarily ceases any war, and hatred is forgotten as the country prepares to take part in the Olympic Games. This represents how the human race has the same aim and hope for a better future. But at the moment, people are trying to mix the Olympics Games with politics when it really has nothing to do with the Olympic spirit. They are two totally different things. So that is why I think that the extremists and protesters who want to disrupt the Olympic flame relay and post the whole thing up on YouTube are missing the point.

I was in America during the time when relations between America and Iran were very tense. As it happened, there was a soccer match between America and Iran. A lot of people had been looking forward to this game for a very long time. When the match ended, the players exchanged their soccer shirts and shook hands with each other, the feeling was very nice. It was then when I realized that just as long as everyone can put aside their prejudices, then there is nothing that cannot be resolved. You can also use sporting events to establish friendships and keep fit and healthy, achieving two things at once.

Talking about Taiwan, I believe everyone still remembers when a few years ago, someone asked me what my thoughts and views were towards the Taiwanese elections and I said with one sentence, “It’s the biggest joke ever!” Later on, because of the comment I made, the Taiwanese government took some actions against me. At first, I nearly couldn’t step foot in Taiwan because I suffered from a lot of obstacles and difficulties. Someone asked me if I ever regretted making that kind of comment. I replied, “Not only do I not regret it, I will not apologize, and I won’t take back what I said!” On top of that, I also added, “It was the biggest joke in the universe!” Of course by saying this, the movements against me in Taiwan intensified. People held banners calling on others not to watch my movies and I found out that a lot of television programs related to films and movies were especially picky against me, adding extra pressure and making things difficult.

I remember someone once asked me, when I would go to Taiwan again. I casually answered that I would go back in four years. Actually, there is no special reason why I gave that answer. It’s just that I knew I didn’t have any spare time for quite a while, so that’s why I said that. Let what happened in the past stay in the past. I always have one objective that I keep in mind when I do things: I keep in mind that it’s hard to please all, so I strive for a clear conscience (this is a well known Chinese philosophy meaning that although one cannot do everything to satisfy the wishes and needs of all, you can strive to do whatever you can with a clear conscience, no qualms, and no feelings of guilt in your heart). So, when will I go to Taiwan again? I don’t have any plans at the moment. If I have time and if there is a need, then I will go. I don’t think there is a need to say when.

Currently, Taiwan has elected a new president. I wish Mr. Ma Yingjiu all the best and I hope everything goes smoothly because the work of a president is extremely important and it’s definitely not an easy job to do. I hope the problems of Taiwan’s people will be solved, their livelihoods improve, and that there will be no more different colored political parties. No matter if you’re red, yellow, blue, white, or black, the most important thing is that everyone is united with one heart, and is not differentiated as individuals like me, you, or him.

Something that Jet Li said applies here, so I’ll tell you what he said. He said that if you are standing on the Moon looking down on Earth, everyone looks the same. Everyone is living on Earth and everyone on Earth is human. You can’t see any difference between colors, races, or nationalities. Why can’t we live together in peace and harmony?

Text and photos ©2008 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.

April 17 – 18 (星期四至星期五)

我跟李連杰的認識：

          最近經常被訪問，很多人都會問我跟李連杰如何認識？第一次合作有什麼感受等等．．．我想在這裡詳細的講一下我跟李連杰的交往過程。

          我跟李連杰的相識是始於很多年前，當時他是十一歲，在香港的新光戲院表演武術，我們都是懂武術的人，當然會去看。從那個時候開始，已經覺得這個小伙子很厲害。直至我到美國發展的時候，當時我在拍《殺手壕》，李連杰是十六歲，他到美國表演，我去看他們表演，還到後台探班，那我就認識了李連杰（杰仔）。事後，李連杰還跟我說，當時他們的師傅告訴他們說：「成龍今天會來看你們，你們要加把勁．．．」

          到後來，李連杰躍身大銀幕拍《少林寺》，我當然要去捧場。當時他的處男作可謂哄動一時，李連杰一炮而紅。隨後，杰仔來香港做宣傳，我透過一位中間人跟他見面。由於當時國內還沒有開放，香港還沒回歸，杰仔屬於國寶級人物。那時候的我的普通話也不像今天的好，不知道什麼應該跟他說，什麼不應該說。

          如我之前所言，當時的中國仍沒有開放，杰仔又是受保護的人物，所以我去見他的時候，也不是很公開的。我記得那個時候，晚上我開車到旺角一幢唐樓接他，帶他到酒店的包房裡吃飯，飯後我帶他到山頂觀光。翌日，我又帶他去逛街。如是者，他每一次訪港，我都是這樣跟他見面。

          有一次，他來港的時候，帶來一把龍傳寶劍送給我，我回贈羽絨衣給他，我們就是這樣來往了差不多二十年。說來也很好笑，兩個大男人像是攪地下情似的，不知道為什麼不可以被拍照，不可以被別人知道我們來往，只是盡量不影響杰仔為主，所以大家就是這樣來往了。

          後來，李連杰到香港拍戲，他開始經常到訪香港。有一次，他在嘉禾片場拍戲，我跟他見面，當時還沒有國際影迷要求我們合作，我已經向他提議二人合作。那個時候，我們二人分別在嘉禾不同片廠開工，我們乘著拍戲在等待擺設攝影機和燈光的時間，我們就討論劇本。李連杰聽了我的構思，他很滿意，我們二人都感到很興奮。可惜，後來因為我們二人分別屬於不同的電影公司，雙方公司在傾談電影版權時有分歧。我真的感到很煩，我們只想合作拍一部大家都喜歡的電影，為什麼最後會弄到這麼複雜呢？可是，公司在商言商，自然先考慮所有權益的問題，所以我們的合作計劃最後被擱置了。

          如是者，我們十多年後，再次在美國重遇，我們舊事重提，不如再考慮合作吧，因為大家都在美國，加上不再只是我們二人希望合作，雙方的影迷都希望我們可以合作，世界各地的記者都在追問我們何時可以合作？

          當時有一間美國公司很有興趣投資我和李連杰合作的電影，於是我把好久以前那個劇本交給他們，可是他們卻不喜歡我的劇本，他們覺得故事太中國化和亞洲味濃厚，最後他們花了一百萬寫了一個劇本給我看，無奈我不喜歡那個故事。後來，大家同意把這個美國投資的劇本再作修改，這個修改又花了好一段時間，我跟李連杰又各分東西，各自忙自己的工作去了。

          事隔這麼多年以後，終於由《功夫之王》的監製Casey Silver和導演Rob Minkoff於三年來不斷與我和李連杰的公司聯繫和商討合作的事宜，最後我和李連杰終於可以得償所願，我們合作拍一部電影。

          坦白說，這一次合作，我和李連杰都很開心，大家都相處得很好，如果他不滿意我，我不喜歡他，那這一部電影將會是我們第一部合作的電影，也會是最後一部。我還記得，拍戲最後一個工作天，大家工作人員紛紛互相道別，我跟李連杰握手擁抱，馬上把他拉到一旁，開始談談我們應該把以前大家都喜歡的那個劇本拍成電影，李連杰聽了，馬上說好。因為現在我們都屬於獨立電影製作公司，我跟李連杰都沒有所謂，相信再次合作的機會非常高，希望在不久的將來，我和李連杰會攜手盡快與大家見面。

最近的訪問：

          最近的訪問除了談《功夫之王》的有關問題，和李連杰的相識等等，最多人問的問題就是如何看北京奧運？奧運聖火傳送時被人阻撓，有什麼感想？何時再到台灣？

          西藏問題引致奧運聖火被搶奪一事，我覺得西藏問題不是一朝一夕，有很多人都不是完全了解，我也不是很了解，我也只是從報導中得知一二，所以我不敢妄下判斷。我只知道舉辦2008年北京奧運會是世界人民的盛事，而奧運聖火是和平、友誼、進步和光明的象徵，在希臘時起，火炬傳到之處各城邦停止一切戰爭，忘掉仇恨，準備參加奧運比賽，這是代表著人類對美好未來的共同追求和祈盼。現在硬要把奧運與政治混為一談，真的與奧運精神背道而馳。所以，有些激進份子搶奪聖火，又有人說要把搶聖火過程拍下來，上載到youtube，我覺得很無聊。

          我記得以前在美國，那個時候是美國和伊朗關係最緊張的時候，剛巧美國和伊朗有一場足球對賽，這是一場很多人都期待以久的賽事。球賽完畢後，球員互相交換球衣和握手，感覺很好。我發覺原來只要大家放下成見，沒有什麼事情不可以解決的，既可以通過運動建立友誼，強身健體，可謂一舉兩得。

          談到台灣，相信大家都記得幾年前，有人問我台灣的選舉有何感想，我說了一句：「天大的笑話！」。後來，台灣政府對我的言詞有所行動，自始我差不多不能踏足台灣，因為我受到很多的阻撓。有人問我會不會後悔有這樣的言行？我直言：「我不單止不後悔，也不會認錯，也不會把我的說話收回！」而且，我更加說：「這是宇宙的笑話！」我這樣說，當然台灣反我的行動更加劇烈，有人舉旗呼籲不要看我的電影，從內幕消息，也知道很多有關電影的項目都對我加以種種的阻礙和壓力。

          我記得有人曾經問我什麼時候再到台灣？我隨意的說了四年後吧！其實，這個答案是沒有什麼特別意思，只是這四年內我都沒有空，所以我就這樣說了。過去就讓它過去吧，我永遠都是抱著一個宗旨：豈能盡如人意，但求無愧我心。到底我何時再到台灣？我真的沒有什麼計劃，有空和有需要可以去，沒有必要說什麼時候去。