Jackie Chan says that his mission is to make good movies for people across the globe. Being a successful producer and actor, he realises that he is in a unique position to make the world understand Chinese culture and promote it
Tell us about your character in Dragon Blade.
I play Huo Qubing’s adopted son Huo An and was raised by him. Both the Han Dynasty and the Huns refuses to accept me. So I became a commander of the protection squad at the west border, leading people from different ethnics to keep the peace on the Silk Road. Of course it’s very hard to avoid war at the time. There are 36 nations at that time, fighting each other constantly.
How was the experience of working with John Cusack and Adrien BrodyIJ
John is a sophisticated and experienced actor who has also worked as a director and producer. In terms of the action choreography, he is good at kickboxing but not very experienced with swords or blades, so I taught him how to fight with weapons. When it comes to acting, there’s no need to say how great he is. He teaches me English, sometimes I have to ask him how to say my line and how to best act.
Adrien is very initiative. One day I got a message from him asking me where I was. He asked me whether we could collaborate and I offered him a part in the movie. He asked me if I could send him the synopsis. I sent it to him at once. I sent it out in the morning and I got a call from him in the evening asking me to send him some videotapes since he wanted to learn the action choreography and he practised with a rod or a broom. That’s how we started working together. He is nice and polite. The director Daniel lee has done a lot of research on the clothes the Han Chinese and the ethnic groups wore during that period of time.
As a producer, what were the challengesIJ
I’m one of the investors as well as the executive producer. Other than starring in the movie, I’m also the action choreographer and I have more than seven hundred people in my team. If you’re an actor, it’s fine for you to travel all the way to the location and rest in the trailer. When you’re needed on set, you go on set. But I can’t do that. I need to be on set all the time. I hope to take the best practices from Chinese and American film sets and combine them to make a Jackie Chan style film. We designated places for smoking and refreshment. Everyone had the same food. Why should there be difference just because people are from abroad or from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan or BeijingIJ
Can you share your thoughts as an actorIJ
Acting has long been a part of my life. I spend every day in studio. Many people were so happy when we finished shooting. For them, the shooting was over, but for me, I move on to the next movie. I never finish shooting. I enjoyed shooting Dragon Blade. There is a scene where one of my men takes gold as a bribe and betrays me. I have a line, “If I can satisfy you with the taking of my life... then I shall die without any regret.” In that scene, I had to say so many lines in Mandarin and we were recording simultaneous sound on the set. I had to remember when to curl back the tip of my tongue;also to tell the difference between “si” and “shi.” I didn’t have to speak with a Beijing accent but at least I needed to pronounce “na li”, instead of “na ni”.
Did you use period costumes for the movieIJ
I had at least 20 to 30 sets of clothing. Some were torn in the fight while some got slashed by blades or pierced through by arrows. Also for the armour, some were hit and some got scratched. I had to change from one to another. Sometimes when I sit on sets, watching everything, I think, ‘Who invented film-makingIJ’ I feel that film-making is the largest industry in the world.
Why did you choose peace and brotherhood as the theme of your movieIJ
My mission is to make good movies for people all over the world. If people across the globe see and enjoy the film, then I’ve succeeded. I am in a position to make the world understand Chinese culture and promote it. I should accomplish this mission. I feel brotherhood is something very strange. Brothers I met when I was seven are still my friends even after 60 years. In all these years, it’s my friends who have been helping me. My family is there, and but my friends will never change.
You’re already an international superstar, what keeps you goingIJ
I do not do anything for money, it’s the love for films that I want to make and things I want to accomplish that keep me going. Only through movies I can tell people that there’s a need for tolerance in every society. And only through my movies I can say the things I want to. I want to speak to the world through my films. I want to make a contribution to the world.
Why do you love making moviesIJ
As soon as I begin making a film, a lot of people would be with me on sets — it’s like a huge playground. When there is no shooting or interview, I’d lock myself up in the hotel room, watching movies and TV or reading documents. I am the happiest when I’m making a movie.