Jackie Chan (The Forbidden Kingdom) Interview
Shot on location in China, The Forbidden Kingdom marks the historic first ever onscreen pairing of martial arts superstars Jackie Chan (the Rush Hour series) and Jet Li (Fearless, The One).
Watch the trailer.
While hunting down bootleg kung-fu DVDs in a Chinatown pawnshop, Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano) makes an extraordinary discovery that sends him hurtling back in time to ancient China. There, Jason is charged with a monumental task: he must free the fabled warrior the Monkey King, who has been imprisoned by the powerful Jade War Lord. Jason is joined in his quest by wise kung fu master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) and a band of misfit warriors including Silent Monk (Jet Li). But only by learning the true precepts of kung fu can Jason hope to succeed - and find a way to get back home.
Tell us about who you play and the story of The Forbidden Kingdom...
I’m kind of like a drunken master, I’m happy go lucky, I like helping people; somehow I meet Jason from New York. I don’t care where he comes from, and then we all have a mission to save the world. There are fantasy themes in the film and along the way I teach Jason how to be a martial artist.
What was it like working with Jet Li?
With most people you have to practice but he looks at me as if to say ‘Just do it’. He wants to find out how fast I am and I want to find out how fast I am and I want to find out how good he is. The first take was so fast and the second take was faster again and everyone was like ‘Will you guys slow down, we are going to have to put the speed on the camera slower’. I tell Jet my rhythm and he says he is going to do this, this, this (Jackie punches into the air). It’s so so fast, with most people I fight with it takes 15 takes, with Jet Li only three. The most difficult fight we have took five takes and that’s all.
Tell us about your Make up in the film...
Make-up it makes you so frustrated, every day I was in make-up for like seven hours. Taking it off alone takes one and a half hours that’s the biggest challenge; they challenge your patience, five in the morning you just sit there doing nothing for 7 hours. They use the brush on your face like you’re a painting; they are using all these alcohol solutions to take it off then they put it back on again. You don’t know how difficult it is its like torture.
Tell us about this being an American story...
This kind of story is very strange if I’m the director I would never make this kind of movie in China because it’s not my culture but an americanised film the way they have put everything together is really fun, if a non American director was doing this I probably wouldn’t have done it but they had an American director, producer, crew etc then they said Jet Li and I said yes!
How do you feel about the writer combining so many Chinese characters?
I think probably the writer really loves Chinese culture, he’s probably seen a lot of Chinese movies and wanted to put everything together ‘ drunken master’, ‘ Monkey King’ and ‘eight immortals’ – everyone is in the same movie.
Tell us about your goal to spread Chinese culture...
I hope this brings more Chinese culture to the West. Western Europe is beginning to know more about Chinese culture. I am the tourism ambassador for China and the Asian tourism ambassador. How do you introduce more Asian culture to more western people and get them to come visit us?
THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM will be released in cinemas across the UK by Lionsgate UK on 11th July 2008.
