Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou (周杰倫) says his appearance in the action comedy The Green Hornet fulfilled a childhood dream to imitate Bruce Lee’s (李小龍) kung fu genius and bring his musical talent to the silver screen.
The film is a reprise of the 1966-1967 television series in which Lee starred as the sidekick to masked Los Angeles crime fighter Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher who spends his nights fighting crime in a quest for vigilante justice.
It opened this month to mixed reviews, but an exceptionally strong box office. Chou’s performance was praised by some, derided by others, with many commenting on his poor command of English.
Chou and leading man Seth Rogen were in Taipei yesteday to promote the film.
“I tried hard to get this role,” Chou said. “I worship heroes. I admit I’m pretty childlike in my inner side and I like Batman and Iron Man. When I got a chance to play a hero, I told myself I couldn’t give it up.”
This is the first Hollywood film for the 32-year-old Chou, whose fame as a rap and R&B artist is mostly confined to Asia. In recent years, he has appeared in a number of Chinese-language films, one of which he also directed.
Chou said his Hornet role as Reid’s assistant Kato was not meant to mirror Lee’s one-dimensional kung fu approach, but to be “more normal and closer to reality” and provide a showcase for his musical talent.
“I hope to show Western audiences that Asians don’t just do kung fu, but also sing, write songs and play the piano,” he said. “So I put the musical element into my Kato.”
Chou said Sony Pictures has decided to make a sequel to The Green Hornet and that he is set to reappear in the same role.
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