Jet Li was all smiles during a press conference on Friday at the Grand Formosa Regent hotel to promote his latest film, Hero. The actor said he relished playing the role of a character called Nameless, a loyal and righteous fighter willing to sacrifice himself to save the world.
A martial arts expert, Li has starred in more than 20 Hong Kong kung-fu dramas and three Hollywood films, Lethal Weapon, Romeo Must Die and The One. But he used the opportunity of the press conference to promote his own theory of "anti-violence."
"The highest state of martial arts is that no one needs to fight anymore," Li said. "The first stage is when the sword is in your hand, and it is also in your heart. The sword and yourself have become one. The second stage is when the sword is not on your hand, but inside your heart. This means you can kill someone with your heart. And the final stage is when the sword is neither in your hand, nor your heart. This means you don't have the means to hurt anyone, and you don't fear harm from others," Li said, explaining one of the movie's main messages.
Action fans needn't worry, however, for Hero, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has gorgeous fighting scenes thanks to action choreographer Tony Siu-tung Ching. The fighting takes place amid the stunning scenery of remote settings such as Inner Mongolia, Dunhuang and Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan.
Great efforts were made in order to ensure that everything was perfect, Li said. For one fight scene in a yellow forest, director Zhang organized a special staff to observe the color of the leaves in the forest, and constantly report back to him via cellphone.
To portray the tens of thousands of black Qing cavalry, Zhang had to send 500 horses to animal beauty salons, to dye their hair black.
"Zhang is a very meticulous filmmaker, especially careful about ... light and colors. He always shoots parts involving actresses in the late afternoon, because he thinks women's faces tend to look swollen in the morning," Li said.
But Li emphasized that a film is never just a visually elegant film. "I cried twice reading the script," he said. "I cried for the friendship and sacrifice of the assassins and martyrs."
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