Jason Scott Lee Newspage

2005-08-30T01:56:00.000+08:00

Sunday, August 7, 2005

ON STAGE

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Ulua Theater has just three rows of folding chairs. The action takes place directly in front of the first row.

Black-box theater is
up close, personal

Jason Scott Lee’s intimate
theater can offer audiences
an emotional experience

By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

Volcano, Big Island » Yasuko Takahara Schlather stands within an arm's length of the audience, crying, ranting angrily that her roommate and friend is dead.

She's so close that those in the first row can feel her breath between sobs, see tiny spots of tears collect in the corner of an eye, cling to the lower lid, then slide slowly down her cheek.

'Burn This'

Lanford Wilson's two-act drama, directed by Jason Scott Lee and Justina Mattos

Onstage: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, closing Aug. 27

Place: Ulua Theater, 19-4325 Haunani Road, Volcano Village

Tickets: $25, available at CD Wizard in Hilo, Mele Kai Music in Kona, Byrd's Audio in Waimea and the Volcano Store on Haunani Road

Synopsis: The setting is a Manhattan loft shared by Anna, a young dancer-choreographer, and her two gay roommates -- Anna's collaborator, Robby, just killed in a boating accident, and Larry, a world-weary advertising executive. Anna is recovering from Robby's death, comforted by her boyfriend, Burton, when Robby's older brother, Pale, comes to collect his brother's belongings and transforms the lives of everyone in the loft.

The cast

Ken Elliott (Larry): A Compton, Calif., native, Elliott, 41, has been a member of the prestigious Actors' Gang Theatre in Hollywood for nine years. He was last seen in the award-winning productions "Self-Defense," based on the Aileen Wournos story, and originated the role of Robert Earl Hayes in "The Exonerated," which he will reprise in the 2006 U.S. Tour.

Yasuko Takahara Schlather (Anna): A native of Japan who now calls Makawao, Maui, home, Schlather, 35, has co-starred in several television shows and can also be seen in Disney's "Golden Dreams" at the California Adventure Park. She lived in Los Angeles. She's also appeared in "Hae Lu" (2001), directed by Kuang Lee. Her TV credits include CBS's "Martial Law."

Mark L. Lewis (Burton): A Wyoming native currently living in Los Angeles, Lewis, 30, has just completed the U.S. tour of "Embedded" with the Actors' Gang and can be seen in the soon-to-be-released films "States Evidence" and "L.A. D.J." He is also a technical director for the Actors' Gang in Los Angeles.

Jason Scott Lee (Pale)

It is discomforting to be so close to such raw feelings, yet the actress, who plays Anna in "Burn This" at the new Ulua Theater in Volcano, apparently doesn't notice.

By the conclusion of the in-your-face, punch-in-the gut, 135-minute production, the audience feels as emotionally rung as the actors.

This is "black-box theater" -- held in an unadorned performance space, usually a large, square room with black walls and no raised stage.

Such spaces, easily built and maintained, are usually home to performances with limited sets and lighting effects but with an intimate focus on story, writing and performances.

And so it is with actor Jason Scott Lee's 45-seat Ulua Theater, set deep within the Volcano rain forest. Last week's "Burn This" premiere was the culmination of a five-year dream for Lee. "I want to bring quality, professional plays to the community with stories that affect people emotionally in a very, very intimate setting."

Mission accomplished.

Black-box theaters became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, a thriving time for low-cost experimental theater. Lee patterned Ulua after a venue in Los Angeles' Los Feliz district, where the wannabe actor studied with Sal Romeo.

"Black-box allows more pure theater to be explored with the most human and least technical elements being in focus," Lee says.

Audiences enter Ulua under a pitched, overhanging roof. At its pinnacle is mounted a 100-pound ulua, which Lee caught off of South Point after a 40-minute battle. He wants Ulua Theater performances to be like his experience catching the fish: The excitement of the first strike, followed by the hard, sweaty work to reel it in, is like bringing a play to fruition. "The ulua is the king of the reef, and that is the theater I want: something dynamic and forceful."

The "Burn This" stage is a living room and kitchen. The couch, chairs, table, stove, sink, dishes, utensils and refrigerator are used by the cast to lounge, cook and eat.

"This is the first time in my career that I've actually lived onstage," says Mark L. Lewis, who plays Burton in the play.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
The cast of four in Ulua's first play consists of Ken Elliott...

On the second floor, the actors sleep in two loft spaces connected by a wooden walkway.

Grace C. Lee, executive director of the New York-based Second Generation theater group, made the trip from New York because the concept of combining a theater and working farm "fascinated me."

Second Generation provided a $2,000 grant to Lee's Kilauea Productions for "Burn This."

"Pu Mu is a place where people can hone their craft, a safe haven for artists who can try experimental things," Grace Lee said. "People feel safe about making mistakes. It's amazing to work in the field, then bring that energy into the theater."

During the day, the actors farm, usually mulching and weeding in Pu Mu's two taro patches.

Actor Ken Elliott, a longtime friend of Lee's, wanted to learn farming techniques. "An actor has always got to work, but here I have the luxury of working on a farm and being in a play at the same time. Since we actually live on our stage ... we're constantly talking about the play, the lines, the story. You don't have that pleasure in the city."

Lee and a carpenter friend spent about two years building Ulua Theater, which only recently was connected to electricity. The cast had been rehearsing by candlelight.

Schlather lived in Los Angeles for 14 years until opting for a change in lifestyle. Since arriving in Volcano in early June with other cast members, Schlather says she's physically and psychologically stronger.

"Here I'm always in the field during the day," she said. "When I was in a play in L.A., I was so emotional and felt so high I didn't know where to put my energy, so I just hung around the theater. Here I go outside and work, and I perform better."

Lewis compared living, working and performing at Pu Mu to being an astronaut. "It's rare and random to be allowed to visit such a sacred place."

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
...and, from left, Jason Scott Lee on the couch, Mark L. Lewis and Yasuko Takahara Schlather.

http://starbulletin.com/2005/08/07/features/story2.html

2005-08-30T01:49:00.000+08:00

Hollywood Drop Out

Jason Scott Lee forsakes the
glamour life for a rain-forest home
on the Big Island with no power,
water or flush toilet

By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

At his home in Volcano, Jason Scott Lee washes his clothes by hand and hangs them to dry on his lanai. The actor has chosen to live simply on the Big Island, where he grows taro and tries to revive the rainforest.

Volcano, Big Island » A half-dozen years ago, Jason Scott Lee was in Florida playing the studio publicity game -- sitting for interviews and photographs to promote a new film.

After a day of interviews, the Pearl City High School graduate had dinner with friends. Conversations floated about careers, Hawaii, lifestyle. An actress at the table talked a lot about money, fame and her latest acquisition, a $90,000 Mercedes Benz.

In contrast, Lee said he was working to simplify his life.

"I want to work when I want to, on films that I want to, and not have to pay for a lifestyle that doesn't do anything except obligate me to the machine," he said.

The dinner party went quiet. Then Lee continued, mentioning work he'd be turning down: "Too disruptive to what I want to do and where I want to be."

"You're nuts!" the actress said. "Your brain must be getting moldy up there on the volcano."

"Probably," Lee said, laughing.

In the early '90s, Lee was the wonder boy of Asian-American actors, wowing audiences with his emotional intensity and physical power in many quality roles. He was an Inuit Eskimo ("Map of the Human Heart"), a Polynesian prince ("Rapa Nui"), an Indian wild boy ("Jungle Book") and an icon ("Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story"). He had five bona fide romantic leads, a major achievement for an Asian actor in Hollywood.

Lee loves acting. But even more, he has another dream: He wants to leave his mark other than on the stage or screen.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Jason Scott Lee catches up on phone calls at his Volcano Village home on the Big Island. The only electricity in the rustic home comes from a 12-volt battery. A solar panel powers a water pump, and a propane tank heats the water. Cooking is done on a wood-burning stove; bathing, in an old horse trough.

Six years ago, Lee bought 25 acres in Volcano, much of it deforested and littered with old paint cans, car parts and other debris. A friend helped him build a modest, two-room house with no electricity, hot water or flush toilet. The elevated house stands at the edge of the rain forest.

Life here is borderline ascetic, especially for a movie star, but Lee lives it most of the year.

Part of his dream was having his family -- mom Sylvia, three brothers and a sister -- move from Oahu to the Volcano property.

"I thought we could all live a very simple existence -- a clean, healthy life -- and my family could all have a house on the property, share in duties," Lee says. "But I realize not everyone wants country life, and my family wants to live their own lifestyles."

But for himself, Lee found a new, more fulfilling path. Turning his back on Hollywood -- he dropped his manager and agent -- he focused on yet another dream: to build a small performing arts venue for professional-quality, socially conscious plays, workshops and classes. He also hoped to have cast members and instructors live there with him.

Pu Mu, the name Lee has given his compound, means "simplicity" and "nothingness." Through it, Lee lives his strongly held environmental beliefs: responsible farming, eat what you grow, an emotional and spiritual connection to agriculture and culture, ecological stewardship.

After weeks of auditions, Lee gathered three like-minded actors in the compound for his first production. Since early June they have helped farm about four acres of the land. Their play, "Burn This," debuted last weekend.

Lee says his real focus is to repair the deforested areas of his property. "I want to bring the canopy back."

So he searches the forest for koa seeds, replanting the fast-growing trees at Pu Mu. "Koa reforestation is not hard; one tree will make a dozen keikis," he says. "And taro grows wild under the canopy. You don't have to open the forest up and till it and mulch it to make it work."

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Lee tends to his taro. He farms using natural methods developed by Japanese agrarian Masanobu Fukuoka.

Lee learned this approach in Japan from Masanobu Fukuoka, one of the most radical and influential agrarian thinkers of the last century. Fukuoka's "One Straw Revolution" developed the concept of "natural farming."

Fukuoka uses no tilling or chemicals, incorporating and controlling useful weeds rather than eradicating them. On Lee's land, weeds grow alongside taro, "challenging" the Hawaiian staple to grow strong and survive.

A weathered photo of the elderly, white-haired sensei sits on a shelf in Lee's house. Lee holds it like a priceless, fragile relic.

"A friend of mine gave me his book, and I was very inspired by it," he says.

Lee returns the photo to its place, near a mattress that sits on a Tibetan rug. A nearby makeshift desk is stacked with papers and a phone. The home has no computer or television because the only electricity in Lee's house is provided by a 12-volt battery.

"People say your eyes go bad if you read by candlelight," he says. "Not true. I have 20-20 vision."

A tiny room holds the horse water trough that Lee uses for a bathtub. A single solar panel operates a water pump, and a 5-gallon propane tank heats water for bathing.

"Local style," Lee says. "Wet down, scrub down, rinse." Then he asks, "Want to see a real lua?"

An elevated walkway leads 20 feet into the forest, where an outhouse sits above the ground.

The monklike accommodations beg the question, Is Lee lonely here?

"Sometimes but not lately, with all the projects that I have," he says. "When you're working and feeling achy and have to get up because no one is going to do something for you, that's tough. But it's yin and yang, and builds strength of character."

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Lee keeps Fukuoka's photograph on a shelf near his bed.

At 38, Lee appears to have lost none of his physical prowess. He's about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds, with broad, sloping shoulders. His Chinese-Hawaiian ancestry gives him handsome high cheekbones and expressive brown eyes like a glaze on pottery that gleam when he smiles and glower when he doesn't.

His forearms and hands are so toned they look like fine tools. He has a sculpted face, widely set eyes and a flawless nose. From each of its wings, a curved line descends to enclose his lips, almost like parentheses.

Lee's manner is friendly, direct but measuring. He is very vigilant.

For his film work, Lee chooses projects that have some significance while providing the income he needs to maintain Pu Mu. Perhaps the biggest difference between the 25-year-old actor of "Map of the Human Heart" and the man today is his insistence on remaining uncorrupted by material ambitions, his almost childlike responsiveness to joy.

Lee credits his mother and late father Robert as "very, very influential."

"My mother's compassion and my father's tenacity were two things that combined in me," he says. "The compassionate side is where all the environmental interest is, wanting to contribute to the community, and not taking myself too seriously."

Bob Lee was tenacious about his son spending wisely, but early in his burgeoning career, Lee admits he "dabbled on wine, woman and song."

Eventually, something in Lee screamed to slow down. "I've always had this ability to get introspective, be more thoughtful," he says.

"I've saved a lot of money, but this lifestyle does keep you in a low overhead."

In 2003 and 2004, Lee spent several months in Kazakhstan filming the government-funded historic epic "Nomad," in which he plays the adviser to a future king.

Lee also chooses film projects "for kokua," such as Lane Nishikawa's new motion picture, "Only the Brave," about the 442nd World War II combat regiment.

"I'm not one to perpetuate a war story, but the story of those people in the 442 caught in that situation is pretty incredible," Lee says.

Lee insists he didn't reject Hollywood, but just found his true self.

"For some people in Hollywood, their soul dies. You're dependent on so many things: recognition so you can get the next job ... the next movie to pay off your big house and your big car. It's a choice."

Lee laughs at his situation, "one foot in Hollywood and the other in a jungle."

"This right here," he says, touching a koa sprout, "is the world that allows me to stand the other one -- because Hollywood really doesn't mean nothing," he says. "I do some film work, then come back home to grow the kala, fish, read, weed and now prepare for rehearsal in my theater.

"My life is pretty complete at Pu Mu."

http://starbulletin.com/2005/08/07/features/story1.html

2005-08-30T01:36:00.000+08:00

On the Scene

Friday, August 19, 2005

NO GLITCHES HERE!: Jason Scott Lee, left, celebrated with Tony Leondis after the world premiere of "Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch" Monday at the Turtle Bay Resort. Leondis co-wrote and co-directed the direct-to-DVD sequel to Disney's 2002 hit "Lilo & Stitch." Lee returns as the voice of David, the soft-spoken boyfriend of Lilo's big sister. The story does a great job balancing kid-friendly entertainment with positive messages about family and friendship. It also conveys an authentic sense of island culture.

CONGRATULATIONS, COURTNEY!: Courtney Kessell celebrated her graduation with a party Sunday at Rumours. Kessell and boyfriend Al Kauahi made a great-looking couple in matching aloha attire. Kessell's mother, local radio personality Lisa D, did most of the planning for the big event, but her father, Kriss Hart, helped as well. Aura provided entertainment with two sets of classic club music.

ALOHA FROM JASMINE: Jasmine Trias, left, signed autographs for Damon Catao and Tierra Fethal during the luau that preceded the screening of "Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch." The kids took advantage of the opportunity to get their faces painted before dinner. Adults enjoyed the open bar.

REPRESENTING HAWAII: Lina Girl and Braddah Sam, right, skipped the red carpet entrance to the "Lilo & Stitch 2" luau and went over to talk with Dennis Kamakahi, third from left, and his son, David. Dennis and David are heard singing in the animated film and give the soundtrack an authentic Hawaiian ambience.

AURA IS BACK!: Lisa D, second from left, talked with Kemamo Ho, third from left, and Christine and Dennis Mendoza of Aura. Dennis said he and his brothers and sisters are ready for a reunion of all the old-time members.

http://starbulletin.com/columnist/column.php?id=10432&col_id=49

2005-08-30T01:30:00.000+08:00

Knox and Gellatly dance to the rescue of ballet fan

Thursday, August 25, 2005

GELLATLY TO THE RESCUE!: Erik Gardner studied ballet with John Selya at the School of American Ballet in New York and so was looking forward to seeing Selya in Ballet Hawaii's production of "Coppelia" on Saturday. It looked as though Gardner and his wife, Lori Kinger Gardner, would be left stranded, however, when they arrived at the box office shortly before show time and were told there was no record of tickets being reserved for them. It was then that Peter Gellatly of Network Media stepped forward and politely suggested that the box office staff stop dithering and call Hawaii Ballet Executive Director Steve Knox, like now! Knox came out moments later and put everything right in time for the Gardners to be in their seats before the curtain went up ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To Ledward Kaapana, Nedward Kaapana and Peter Moon, who are celebrating today ... also to Elizabeth Ananij Harrison and Alicia Michioka (Friday), Brittney Anelaikalani Jennings (Sunday), Jakara Mato and Sweetie Moffatt (Monday), Maile Francisco (Tuesday), and Dave Toma (Wednesday) ...

YOU CAN TAKE 'EM OUT OF HAWAII, BUT: Anita Hall gave away her Hawaii roots at a posh Hollywood party recently when she saw a bowl of salsa and asked if it was lomi lomi salmon. Hall, attending "A Night with Concord Records" at the Hollywood Bowl, also talked music with Karrin Allyson, Dianne Schurr and Patti Austin ...

CONGRATULATIONS: To Jason Scott Lee on the success of "Burn This" at his newly opened Ulua Theatre in Kilauea. The taut drama has been extended through next weekend. Here's hoping that Lee, who's co-directing, can bring "Burn This" to Oahu ...

CHANGES: "On the Scene" grew to three days a week in April 2004 when this old-style "three dot" column was created as a companion for the expanded modern photo column. I have greatly enjoyed the challenge of seeking out fresh, original material each week, and it has been an honor to provide you with original news, brief reviews, birthday announcements and other items that can only be shared in a traditional "three dot" column. However, this version of "On the Scene" stops here. Instead, we'll have photos Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting next week ...

http://starbulletin.com/columnist/column.php?id=10485&col_id=49

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'Lost' shoots move inside

Wednesday, August 3, 2005

Some "Lost" crew members are wondering why the first two episodes of the new season are being shot on interior sets rather than the beach. The question is, Is ABC abandoning exterior location shoots here so "Lost" could relocate to Los Angeles soundstages?

Co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof says the drama's first three episodes will present some "new, intriguing questions" about what's inside the hatch, and that the major plot element centering on a series of numbers that matched Hurley's winning lottery ticket "definitely do not" refer to Bible verses.

But the numbers were "not arbitrary," Lindelof says.

Another question: Will Malcolm David Kelley's character Walt survive season two? Three weeks ago the actor's contract still had not been renewed, and rumors were that the character would "be wrapped up" in the first few episodes.

An ABC spokesman has denied a season two departure for him ...

Jason Scott Lee will, after all, leave his Big Island compound of Pu Mu to attend Disney's media junket for the direct-to-video release of the sequel to "Lilo & Stitch" Aug. 15 at the Turtle Bay Resort. Lee, who reprises his voice-over character David Kawena, is taking a break from his Volcano home where, since June, he'd been readying with three other cast members his new play "Burn This" for the 45-seat Ulua Theater.

Attending last Saturday's debut were state film commissioner Donne Dawson and Big Island commissioner Marilyn Killeri. "Burn This" runs every Saturday night through this month ...

Celebrated Hawaii-born independent filmmaker Kaya Hatta, whose 1995 Oahu-based film "Picture Bride" won an audience award for best dramatic film at the Sundance Film Festival that year, will receive the state's Film in Hawaii Award at this fall's Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival.

Hatta, 47, drowned July 20 in Encinitas, Calif.

The award is given to the film or television entity that has significantly contributed to promoting the local film industry. Hatta's 30-minute coming-of-age film "Fishbowl," based on the writings of Hawaii author Lois-Ann Yamanaka, will be shown during the festival ...

http://starbulletin.com/columnist/column.php?id=10323&col_id=44

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Van Peebles to direct ‘Tattoo’

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

Writer/director Mario Van Peebles -- his most recent film is "Baadasssss!" -- is on track to direct the 4.5-years-in-the-making independent film "The Tattoo," adapted from the 1999 book by Oahu writer and college instructor Chris McKinney. Hawaii-based producers are Angela Laprete and Laurie Foi (co-producer of "The Ride"), and In L.A., Wallis Nicita and Jeff Timon of LaLuna Films. Bob Gookin, a writer and supervising producer on "Baywatch Hawaii" and with other credits, and William "Chico" Powell, who obtained the film rights to McKinney's novelette from Mutual Publishing, are screenwriters. Van Peebles' involvement should attract major acting talent to the project. McKinney's novels "Queen of Tears" and "The Tattoo" were picked up for national distribution by Soho Press.

Touchstone executive Barry Jossen has been promoted to executive VP of production. The Kalani High grad will continue to oversee all physical production for Touchstone, including "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" ... Anna Fishburn is out as local casting director for "Lost," with veteran Margaret Doversola stepping into the position ... Veteran actor Don Stroud, raised and schooled in Honolulu, is hoping for a reoccurring part in "Lost" ...

Actor Jason Scott Lee stars in the Lanford Wilson play "Burn This," with a preview performance later this month at Lee's Ulua Theater in Volcano. Other cast members: Yasuko Takahara-Schlather, Mark L. Lewis and Ken Elliott. "Burn This" is directed by Lee and Justina Mattos ... Lee is off to Kazakhstan for the premiere of his latest film "Nomad" ...

"Whale Rider" star and Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes arrives in Honolulu July 19 from Auckland to attend a special screening of the film at Hawaii Theatre on July 22, coinciding with the broadcast premiere of the film July 24 on PBS. It's a collaborative screening between Pacific Islanders in Communication and Girl Scouts Council ...

Wannabe writers attending next month's Maui Writers Conference get a chance of a lifetime when producers from "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" tape the show's "Pitch to America" segments at the Wailea Marriott, Sept. 1 to 4 ...

http://starbulletin.com/columnist/column.php?id=10112&col_id=44

2005-01-31T13:43:00.000+08:00

"Only The Brave" previews at Blaisdell

Friday, January 14, 2005

BOLLER WELCOMES "ONLY THE BRAVE": Hawaii International Film Festival Executive Director Chuck Boller, third from left, talked with Greg Watanabe, Brook Lee and Tamlyn Tomita before the "private" fund-raiser screening of "Only the Brave" in the Blaisdell Concert Hall on Saturday. Filmmaker Lane Nishikawa's tribute to the Japanese-American combat veterans of World War II is about 75 percent complete, and proceeds from benefit showings are helping fund the remaining work. Tomita co-stars as Nishimoto's wife, and Watanabe (Tomita's real-life husband) plays one of the nisei soldiers in the unit. Lee emceed the screening. A crowd estimated at around 600 mingled with the stars at the post-screening reception.

HEY, SARGE!: Filmmaker Lane Nishikawa greeted Gina Hiraizumi before the screening. Nishikawa, who wrote and directed "Only the Brave," gives a powerful performance in the starring role of a tough nisei sargeant. Hiraizumi plays the beauty queen wife of a soldier in his unit.

GREAT JOB, JAY!: Producer Jay Koiwai, third from left, talked with Matt Matsunaga, left, Ron Nishiki and Brook Lee before the screening. It was officially a "private" screening so the film can't be reviewed, so suffice it to say that Nishimoto approaches the well-known story of the accomplishments of Japanese-American soldiers in World War II from a fresh perspective and with a compelling storyline that transcends ethnicity or race.

SUPPORTING THE CAUSE: Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa, right, caught up with Jason Scott Lee before the screening. Lee makes a welcome return to the big screen with his portrayal of a soldier in "Only the Brave." Tagawa was there to support the event.

ACTORS, RE-ENACTORS, AND GUNS: "Only the Brave" cast member Garret T. Sato, left, and local actress Stephanie Sanchez checked out the authentic World War II era uniforms and firearms of Hawaii Historic Arms Association members Michael Wee, second from left, and Branden Ibara. Wee is armed with an M1 rifle, Ibara has the lighter M1 carbine.

2004-12-02T03:37:00.000+08:00

Jason Scott Lee:
Primal Man

ason Scott Lee is the wonder boy of Asian American actors, as in, Wonder what happened to Jason Scott Lee. Who can blame us? No other Asian actor has wowed us so completely with so much emotional intensity and physical power showcased in so many quality roles -- only to disappear like some one-hit wonder.

During a glorious four-year golden age that began in 1990, the young paragon played an Inuit Eskimo (Map of the Human Heart), a Polynesian prince (Rapa Nui), an Indian wild boy (Jungle Book) and practically every Asiatic ethnicity in between, including the ultimate icon of his own: Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Five have been bona fide romantic leads in quality films -- a major achievement for anyone, all the more so for an Asian actor in Hollywood.

CONTINUED BELOW

For most, what made Jason Scott Lee so memorable was his primal physicality. Sweat glistening over rippling muscles, Lee has battled, raged and made hot love -- not exactly the images Hollywood links with Asian men. Like a true hero, he has saved studios big bucks in wardrobe costs and spared millions of females the rigors of imagining the physique attached to those smoldering eyes and full lips. And just when the world burned to see and know more, he disappeared.

So what happened to him?

After Jungle Book (1994) and the cinematically beautiful, financially ugly Rapa Nui (1994), Lee sleepwalked through several forgettable movies. The last most of us saw him, he was Aladdin in the 1999 Hallmark miniseries Arabian Nights -- unless you were in London the following year and caught the stage production of The King and I or a series of B movies (Dracula Resurrection, Prophey IV) or noticed his voice in a Disney cartoon feature (Lilo & Stitch)

Few Hollywood careers have risen to such a sustained crescendo, then dropped off so precipitously just when the world was hungering for more. But, as we discovered, Lee doesn't share the priorities that drive most actors.

Jason Scott Lee was born in Los Angeles on November 19, 1966 to a Chinese-Hawaiian father and a Chinese mother, third of five children. He was two when his family moved to Oahu. A year after graduating from Pearl City High with a mediocre record, he returned to the mainland to enroll at Fullerton Community College. Before long he turned to acting. His sand-and-surf physique caught the eyes of casting directors. He landed a series of minor movie roles beginning with a chicano in Born in East LA (1987), a Corean American in American Eyes (1989), a hoverboarder in Back to the Future Part II (1989), a Vietnamese in Vestige of Honor (1990), and Kyle in Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go to College (1991).

What put Jason Scott Lee on the map of rising young actors was Map of the Human Heart (1992). As a young Inuit named Avik, Lee starred in a beautifully photographed and memorable saga of identity and passion opposite Anne Parillaud (Nikita). It was an ideal showcase for Lee's emotional intensity and raw physicality.

Before Map made its way into theaters, Lee auditioned for The Last of the Mohicans. He was deemed not to have the right look to play a Mohican. But the casting director thought highly enough of his acting ability to suggest him to a friend casting the lead in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993). The young actor's success in capturing the icon's moves and moods brought international celebrity, making him a latter-day reincarnation of Bruce Lee to the under-40 set.

Dragon opened many doors, but Lee seemed to take only those leading to the great outdoors, notably Rapa Nui and Jungle Book. Having been typecast as Primal Man, Lee seemed averse to roles calling for street clothes. His passing from the limelight coincided with his immersion into his small farm in a remote area of the Big Island.

Lee has emerged periodically to do movies. Most recently, he spent the late summer and fall of 2003 in Kazakhstan filming a historical epic with the working title Nomad. When we caught up with him, Lee had spent several weeks recuperating on his farm. During our conversation his mood ranges from gentle and contemplative to indignant. Through it all, he seems to draw strength and serenity from the holistic philosophy around which he has built his second incarnation.

GS: How did you become involved in The Nomad?
JSL: The script was presented to me a while back, I think maybe a couple of years back and I had read it and really liked it and expressed my interest in it. Much later they eventually contacted me.

GS: Who sent you the script?
JSL: I'm not sure. From what I understand, the director had seen Map of the Human Heart and I guess he felt that I could play this one character that had an age change.

GS: How big is the age change?
JSL: Twenty years.

GS: What age do you start at?
JSL: In my late thirties, and then aging into the fifties.

GS: I understand you're playing the advisor to the future king of Kazakhstan.
JSL: I'm sort of his mentor and teacher.

GS: Is it a physical role?
JSL: There are some fighting sequences.

GS: Your work has largely been in adventure and action. Is this along the same lines?
JSL: It's a more dramatic role with bits of fighting sequences set against an epic backdrop.

GS: Who is the king of Kazakhstan that you're mentoring?
JSL: He has two names. One is... [long pause] Forgive me! When I leave work I'm completely removed from it so the names and things... [laughs]

GS: That's okay. You've said that you only do one movie a year because it's so grueling.
JSL: Yeah, it takes about a month, maybe even a month and a half to come down off a trip like that.

GS: And you're not even done with it.
JSL: I'm not finished and that was four months of intensive involvement in a foreign country.

GS: Is it based on a true story?
JSL: The Kazakh people I guess are wanting their story to be brought to the world. Their country is kind of an obscure place. They just want to be accounted for.

GS: Are they really a branch of the Mongol race?
JSL: Yeah. You know when people say Asia very few times that area central asia gets accounted for. People mostly take into consideration Japan or Corea or China and places in the far east, India or so. This area surprised me quite a bit. I found the people looking very very Asian with some influence from Turkish tribes.

GS: Are they closer to the Genghis Khan stock?
JSL: Oh yeah.

GS: If you're walking around there, they can't tell you're not a Kazakh?
JSL: No, sometimes people start speaking to me in Kazakh.

GS: Are you playing a Kazakh? They weren't casting you because the mentor was maybe Chinese, Japanese or Corean?
JSL: No, that's what I mean. The impression that people get when they say Kazakhstan or Central Asia. These are all warring tribes with their heritage in the Mongol era. You look at what Genghis Khan did during his lifespan and what his sons did, what kind of territory they occupied. It was massive, it's bigger than China. In fact, they owned part of China.

GS: Does this take place during the Genghis Khan era?
JSL: This is much later. It takes place in the 1600s.

GS: Are you doing a lot of horseback riding and swordsmanship?
JSL: Yeah.

GS: What were the conditions like in Kazakhstan?
JSL: The culture and the food is very different. There are some western establishments but I always found myself eating more of the Uygur food or the Kazakh food. A lot of other tribes like the Uzbek people and their food is fantastic. I was leaning more on that kind of food. The city that we were staying in is fairly cosmopolitan.

GS: What city is that?
JSL: It's called Almaty.

GS: Is that the capitol?
JSL: It used to be but they moved the capitol up north to a place called Astana, so we stayed in Almaty.

GS: Would we consider it modern?
JSL: They have automobiles, they have electricity, they have air conditioning. They have quite a few modern conveniences.

GS: So it wasn't like when you were filming Rapa Nui?
JSL: No, Rapa Nui is much more primitive.

GS: There wasn't much hardship?
JSL: Not in that sense, but in the sense of climate changes and locations. Logistically it was pretty heavy duty for the crew. It was hard, the pace.

GS: Why is it taking so long to film a movie that normally takes about six to eight weeks?
JSL: There's a lot of things they overlooked because no one had ever tried to do an epic in the western sense with Hollywood people and such in Kazakhstan. When you're trying to organize 400 extras or so, and 400 horses, who have no idea what making a movie is all about, you tend to have a communication breakdown. Things that you thought you could shoot in a day would take a week.

GS: Is this a Hollywood project in the sense of being directed and produced by a Hollywood studio?
JSL: Yeah, the Kazakh people -- producers as well and investors -- are all looking to it as maybe their Lord of the Rings for like what it did for New Zealand.

GS: It might be a six or eight hour movie?
JSL: No, I think the only reason it's taking so long is... I mean, I don't really care how long it takes because Ivan Passer is given the latitude to make the shots right. Because everything is on location, he's waiting for the right setup, the right lighting and all these things.

Jason Scott Lee at the video premier of Dracula Resurrection (2003) and being styled into his role as Father Uffizi, the badass vampire-slayer.

GS: So you're having to hurry up and wait a lot.
JSL: Oh yeah. I don't mind if he's getting the shots. In a sense we're making a movie the way maybe Kubrick made it or maybe John Ford or David Lean.

GS: In the sense of the authenticity of location?
JSL: Yeah, yeah. I dreamed of working for a person who has this kind of attitude. Also the producers weren't as pushy as they are in Hollywood. They have a tendency to let him shoot and let him shoot. I'm grateful for having had this kind of experience because I've always wanted to work with those kinds of directors who took their time.

GS: So it's a high quality project?
JSL: Yeah.

GS: Do you think it will have mass appeal for American audiences?
JSL: I'm not sure. There is a quality to it that I haven't seen in epic movies for a while.

GS: Is it like The Last Emperor in terms of epic scope and grandeur?
JSL: The thing about this film is that there's a funny kind of gentleness about it. That's the rare thing that I don't find in ...

GS: So the pacing is not as tight as most Hollywood films.
JSL: No.

GS: You've done a lot of location work in the last two or three years.
JSL: My work throughout my career has been location.

GS: That's true.
JSL: Soldier I did in Los Angeles and maybe bits and pieces of Dragon.

GS: Who plays the main character?
JSL: His name is Kuno Becker. He's originally from Mexico and he lives in Los Angeles. They chose him because he's one of the up and coming young actors, on the hot list, I guess.

GS: So they really are shooting for mass appeal.
JSL: They told me how many countries are involved, something ridiculous like 28 countries.

GS: What's the budget?
JSL: We started at twenty million. The reason we broke down, weather was one reason and financing was another. I think they had to go back and look to the investors and refinance the movie because we spent the twenty million.

GS: Is that the reason for ...
JSL: It's still not a Lord of the Rings $200 million-plus kind of thing.

GS: You were in a new Dracula movie, playing Father Uffizi, a vampire killer...
JSL: Vampire slayer? [laughs] That was fun. I'd rather do something that has fantasy when it comes to violence rather than realistic violence. Some people say it's too gorey or too bloody but I enjoy that kind of character.

GS: You seem to have gotten good reviews from fans of the horror genre for stealing the scenes and being the real center of the action. Do you agree?
JSL: Yeah. Over the years I've learned how to handle myself physically. I know what dynamics work on the screen, through movement and through action. I definitely put it all together when I do something like that. But also the way it's written. The mystery of the character as sort of a quiet, dark hunter of vampires is rather appealing. I enjoyed reading the script. They told me that's the chracter they wanted me to play. I go, ¡§Oh great!¡¨ We may be working with a three million dollar budget but hey, the guy's a fantastic director and the producer and the director are just great guys. For me it has to be those two worlds coming together -- a great group of people first off, and if the script is suited for what I can do, even better.

GS: So you're not trying to shy away from playing the action figure.
JSL: That's who I am! I live my life in action. I play harder than I work. In that sense, it's just another thing. Some people aren't physical actors.

GS: There's been speculation that maybe you're trying not to be typecast as an action an action actor.
JSL: Well, everyone is an action actor.

GS: In the physical sense. You're not trying to get away from that at all?
JSL: No, it's who I am! I dn't know what kind of speculation you heard, but I don't think people really know me. [laughs]

GS: You have no interest in going back into pure drama or romance?
JSL: If the story is right I'd do it, but a lot of the stories I've seen that have been presented to me for drama have not been very appealing.

GS: You're playing an Italian in the Dracula movies.
JSL: I'm not being typecast am I? [laughs]

GS: That's refreshing.
JSL: That's what's interesting. A lot of people are adopted or carry an English name and you look at them and they look Corean or something . It's the kind of world we live in now. It creates more interest, more questions as to who the character is.

GS: There's no effort to make you look Italian?
JSL: There's a back story that evolved from bits and scenes that I did with Roy Scheider where he is my mentor. He sort of brings up a little bit of the back story of finding me in a burned-out mission somewhere.

GS: So your ethnicity is worked in.
JSL: Yeah.

GS: They apparently don't know what to call the other movie you've done -- Prophecy 4 or 5.
JSL: [laughs] I haven't heard from there in a while.

GS: What was that role about?
JSL: That was to be with friends and have fun. [laughs] These are the same guys that did Dracula [Resurrection]. So they called back and said, ¡§Hey, Jason, would you like to come out and play with us again?¡¨ I said, ¡§Sure! What's the time frame?¡¨ I was able to fit it in so I went out and did it. It's a mercenary role and there's a very minute section of a small little scuffle. That's more of a dramatic role actually but in the horror genre.

GS: There's been talk about a project called Silk Curtain you're supposed to be in negotiations for. What kind of movie is that?
JSL: You remember in The Last Emperor there was the Emperess Dowager.

GS: The old lady?
JSL: It's based on her life.

GS: So she's like the last empress then.
JSL: Like the prequel to The Last Emperor.

GS: What role would you be playing in that?
JSL: There were a couple of roles. We did a sort of a theater reading in Honolulu because the writer is out of Honolulu. I think it's either a prince or something. It was a while ago, maybe five years ago. A lot of independents are struggling to get financing.

GS: You've been involved in herbal medicine and growing plants. How deeply are you into that now?
JSL: I have a small farm on the Big Island.

GS: What do you grow there?
JSL: I have pear trees, mandarin orange trees, lemon, citrus... And I've been trying to do barley and buckwheat.

GS: You mean as cash crops?
JSL: Not necessarily cash crops but just for my own interest.

GS: Is this an expensive hobby or a self-sustaining business?
JSL: It's not entirely expensive, but it's geared more toward a philosophical interest. I had gone to Japan and studied with Masanobu Fukuoka who is the father of natural farming. Along with tending the land is a lot of philosophy that goes with it. When he was brought to my attention I realized that it was in direct accordance with my acting approach and also my martial arts approach, from what I garnered.

GS: Are you physically involved in farming day to day?
JSL: My main problem is going off to do movies.

GS: How can you keep it going if you're away for months at a time?
JSL: What's happened is that I don't do as many movies as I used to. It's sort of an evolution of the mind, I guess. For me it was never about career that I got into acting and it was never about fame. Those were not priorities. I did it because it was something I had a talent in, as well as in martial arts, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to open a school of martial arts.

GS: But you actually opened a farm though.
JSL: I didn't open the farm. My farm is just my place that I live in.

GS: How many acres is it?
JSL: I only work within a three- or four-acre area.

GS: That's a lot for one person.
JSL: Yeah, I'm busy. That's why I'm never not on the farm.

In Dragon Jason Scott Lee recreates the famous hall-of-mirrors scene from Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon (1973).

GS: Is the point of it that the actual act of cultivating is good for your soul and evolution or that the fruits of it are healthful for your body?
JSL: The reason I got into it is because I felt it encompassed everything. It encompassed art, it emcompassed life, it encompassed politics, it encompassed a lot of the wholeness of life, not just one aspect of it. I'm not doing it to create a separatist feeling in my mind. I'm trying to create a wholeness in my mind. If I can maintain that path, than everything else will be better for it -- relationships, career, acting ability, martial arts ability, observing nature and learning by the observation of those things.

GS: So it's more a part of your effort at self-actualization then.
JSL: Sure, yeah.

GS: So you see it as a way to balance out your acting and other areas of your life?
JSL: I don't think ¡§balance out¡¨ is what I'm doing.

GS: Is that your spiritual home, the farm?
JSL: You know in the sense that, cultivation and farming, if looked at in a narrow way is just that, farming for maybe profit or maybe for sale. It's not that. I'm looking at it not just as a plot of land. It's everything around it. It's like, instead of just having an open field, but knowing that all the insects in that area are affecting that field. You know that you'd better start planting trees that give nutrients to the soil because what's around you is just as important as your little focus of attention. The whole collapse of industrial agriculture -- they focus on that one plot of land to produce as much as they can and leave out everything else around it. So what happens is that everything around it turns to desert. That's what I'm trying to rebel against, that mindset of just looking at something for human benefit.

GS: So when did you get involved enough to actually buy the farm.
JSL: I bought the farm about five yearsa ago. Then I was introduced to Fukuoka about three years ago. That took my interest to a higher place by meeting this mentor.

GS: Does anyone else live there with you or do you use it a retreat for yourself?
JSL: No, it's just my place. I have friends that have worked with me here and every once in a while I'll hire a hand if it's heavy work or some friends of mine visit and they pitch in. My idea originally was to have a place as an artists' retreat for fellow artists and friends I've met through the years in the business of acting. Everything from physical artists like actors to poets to writers and painters. I've always wanted to engage like that and sort of preserve the art of conversation with artists. This was the kind of place that I was able to start establishing. I found that the best place to do that was in nature because it allows you a whole different perspective. Hopefully by having a place like this where people can come and not only engage in art but engage with the earth, engage with the land and sea, the art will maybe say a lot more. Hopefully the art will fluorish as presenting a whole perspective rather than just a perspective that's a piece of the pie.

GS: So you're being a patron of the arts in the sense that you're trying to help these artists evolve to a more holistic sense of themselves.
JSL: To whatever perspective they achieve. All I know is that the closer you are to nature, the better off you are. The further away from nature civilization moves, the more confused it gets.

GS: So you're actually getting back to being a primal man.
JSL: Yeah, and that's the same idea in the martial arts as simplicity. Like Bruce said, the hardest thing to convey is simplicity. And I'm realizing what those words mean. Something that you do on a daily basis is something with your actions, the way you see the world, those are the things that catapult you to a different frame of mind.

GS: So was this evolution toward a holistic philosophy catalized by your role in Dragon?
JSL: The catalyst was my original interest in acting. But I didn't know that's what I was looking for in acting -- and I think a lot of actors will attest to this -- is to find the road back to nature. In acting class they tell you to be like an infant, discover things anew, be fresh. That means nature. And my work with Jerry Poteet -- him being my mentor and me being the student -- all the conversations that we had over tea were just that, about that road back to nature, finding simplicity in action and reaction and you do that with an empty mind. So when you find an interest in philosophy that feeds you that same source of knowledge, such as buddhism, when they speak of all is nothing, you realize what they're trying to say. In a sense, this is a path. It's just a path.

GS: What part of your day do you devote to martial arts?
JSL: [Laughs] Every day.

GS: In the holistic sense?
JSL: But the actual fighting training, is that what you're getting at?

GS: Right, the physical training.
JSL: Say someone is a Shaolin martial artist. What does a Shaolin marital artist do? He lives the life of a monk. He sweeps the floors, he carries buckets of water on his shoulders, he chops wood. Maybe he'll have a session with the high lama, or high teacher, and go through the series of movements and things, imitating animals, imitating natural things, observing a praying mantis. I'm not looking at martial arts in the modern sense of looking at these certain techniques. I've spent enough time with Jerry Poteet to realize that a lot of techniques, once you learn them, are really fundamentals and the only way to exercise those fundamentals is through the mental aspect. I don't believe in overworking the body and training and training and trianing it like Bruce did. I think the path I'm taking is more being the average man, the normal, the simple man with a lot of slow gardening movements, pulling weeds, cutting things. I chop wood, I carry water, I do these things but the emptying of the mind is much more of an important practice than the actual physical practice.

GS: I understand you're not practicing martial arts for the fighting aspect necessarily, but that is one aspect of it.
JSL: It has martial applications. I studied under jeet kune do. That's the most offensive art there is, but I'm saying to reach a higher sensitivity and awareness, [I have to] reach not a higher physical level but a metaphysical level. I stopped doing martial arts after Dragon because I pretty much felt that I was peaking physically. But mentally I had no place to go until I came back to Jerry Poteet again and said, ¡§I have these questions.¡¨ And he said, ¡§I've waited two years for you to come back to ask me these questions.¡¨ After that we went and advanced into the metaphysical world of martial arts.

GS: So your feeling is that by moving to the metaphysical plane you've also improved the physical aspect of your martial arts.
JSL: Oh yeah. There's no question.

GS: Your reactions are quicker?
JSL: Yeah, my reflexes are much more refined.

GS: Is that the ultimate, to be so atuned to your sense of being that you react with the least amount of resistance?
JSL: Yes, that is the same philosophy as what I've learned in natural farming, is don't try to do more, try to do less. But by doing less in the daoist sense, you accomplish more.

GS: So you're not fighting yourself.
JSL: Exactly, you're not fighting nature, you're not fighting the land. If you take a field and you say, ¡§I'm going to plow it and till it¡¨, already you've started on the wrong foot because you've destroyed something that has been developed over millions of years, destroyed the topsoil by turning it over. You're not working with nature. That's not helping the earthworms. You're just killing everything off. So in a sense, what people are trying to do in the martial arts to reach a metaphysical plane is to find how to lose the ego. And the only way to lose the ego is to look at things and try to benefit not just you but the things around you.

GS: At this point are you trying to attain the ultimate level of martial arts?
JSL: I don't know what the ultimate level is. I don't think there is an end road.

GS: A higher level than the physical level.
JSL: Once you gain a sense of awareness and high sensitivity in the physical body, sensitivity in your martial arts, that has to go somewhere. So if your awareness increases, how does it increase? It has to increase into the external world. So the external world eventually effects you as much as your internal world. So by cultivating the internal and external on both the physical and metaphysical planes, there is a cohesive sensibility there that cannot be attained by the intellect.

GS: To bring it down to practical application, you're saying when you reach a certain plane, you can address a lot of the physical conflicts with your mind, or get rid of the need for physical confrontation.
JSL: Yeah, yeah. I was always a surfer, but I no longer care for surfing because I don't really care for competition. I don't think competition is really a natural thing. I think challenging oneself is a natural thing, but challenging yourself doesn't mean competition necessarily.

GS: So most of your physical exercise comes from doing everyday things on your farm rather than actually practicing forms or movement.
JSL: Exactly. What Bruce tried to teach is that practicality is the essence of simplicity. I started discovering that that was true but I wanted to know for myself not just take his word. As I started doing all these practical chores and things, it's like, Yeah now I feel inside, outside what this means. But you never get the feeling unless you do it. Same thing with the martial arts. You're not gonna get anything out of it unless you put something into it.

GS: Do you actually make your own herbal medicines?
JSL: There are herbal drinks and tonics that I take that I am religious about, but I'm just on the tip of the iceberg with that. That is a whole world that is fascinating to me but I'm not going to dedicate my time to it because it's everywhere. People can grow herbs. I'm sure there are higher levels of herbalists like Chinese herbalists who can take your pulse from your hand or your wrist and diagnose you and these things but I'm just more with herbalism. There are herbs in my forest that I take and that I use for tea and such things and growing certain vegetables that you dry out and use for some kind of tea or tonic. That's my level of herbalism. I'm not a very enlightened herbalist.

GS: Where is your farm? Is it near Kona?
JSL: Closer to Hilo.

GS: Is it near the ocean?
JSL: It's in the mountains.

GS: It's pretty remote then?
JSL: Oh, very remote.

GS: Do you need a four-wheel drive to get there?
JSL: Not necessarily.

Jason Scott Lee with Lauren Holly as Linda Lee in Dragon: Bruce Lee Story.

GS: Maybe when you get a lot of rain.
JSL: Yeah, yeah. [laughs]

GS: You were born in Los Angeles.
JSL: That's correct.

GS: And you have three brothers and a sister. Which sibling are you?
JSL: The middle. It's my sister, my brother, then myself, then my two younger brothers who are actually twins.

GS: What were your parents doing at the time you were born?
JSL: My father was working for the telephone company out there. GTE I believe, as an engineer. My mother was going to school and taking waitressing jobs. I think it was Los Angeles Community College. They moved down to Gardena after that.

GS: You wouldn't have any memories of your first years in LA.
JSL: I do.

GS: But you were only two.
JSL: Yeah, but I think people have memories of that. I remember going over to my neighbor's house. The neighbors at the tinme were my godparents. They were an older caucasian couple, Frank and Stella. I remember my father's car at the time, Chevy Impala station wagon.

GS: That's quite a memory for a two-year-old
JSL: But you see pictures too.

GS: Then you went to the North Shore when you were two?
JSL: No, Kaimuki area.

GS: We imagined you living near Haleiwa and going to Matsumoto's for shave ice.
JSL: [Laughs] We did that a lot, yeah. When you live on Oahu and you know the waves are best on the North Shore you tend to always travel in your teen years, you always take the bus or have a friend who has a car and travel out that way and get all those goodies along the way.

GS: Did you enjoy your early years in Oahu?
JSL: Oh, yeah, my dad was a fisherman and he was also a real outdoors kinda guy, so he would always take us out.

GS: So he gave up his work for the phone company?
JSL: He transfered to the Oahu branch of the phone company.

GS: Did you have any career ambitions?
JSL: Not really careerwise. You have no idea what the world means, what it pretends to be. You're just living day by day. People tell you to go to college, enter a university, study study study. If you don't know what to do, go to college anyway and take liberal arts or something that will give you diversity and all these ridiculous things.

GS: That's what your parents were telling you?
JSL: Yeah. Even now I think everybody thinks to get a higher education is the only way to live.

GS: What made you pick Fullerton of all places?
JSL: I have what we call here in Hawaii calabash cousins or calabash relatives who lived in Fullerton. I went out there on a vacation just to see California, see LA, I had a friend going to college in Whittier, so I ended up staying in Fullerton.

GS: Did you like coming back to the LA area?
JSL: It was new. It was very different which I thought was good. The main reason I moved was because I wanted to see for myself if academics was all people said it was. Like that you would learn if you went into academics. I realized that wasn't true for me. But I did it well. I put my nose to the grindstone and whacked away at it.

GS: So you did well at Fullerton college?
JSL: Yeah. I studied for a year and a half there.

GS: What were you studying?
JSL: It was just a liberal arts degree which means just history, mathematics and science. Just a gamut of things.

GS: That's when you got interested in acting?
JSL: Yeah. I met Sal Mineo at Fullerton College. He was my acting mentor.

GS: Did he get you into Born in East LA?
JSL: Kind of. He was the one who got me the agent who sent me out on that call.

GS: How did you get an agent while you were just a college student?
JSL: I was out of college at the time. I had been in Fullerton College for a year and a half and then I moved up to the LA area, Silverlake, I was trying to continue my studies at LACC. By that time I realized that I didn't want to be an academic person. But I wanted to keep my parents happy and sttay in school. So wgebn I went to LACC I was doing painting, I was doing life drawing, I was doing music, I was in piano, I was studying Chinese. It was kind of a free-for-all. I didn't last even last one semester there until I got Born in East LA. And that was goign to take me away for ten to 12 weeks. So I said it's impossible to stay in school. So I optioned to go the other route, the free-forming route. I don't really believe in education as such but I do believe in mentorship. I do believe in teachers.

GS: How had you proven yourself? Did Sal Mineo identify you as a talent?
JSL: I met him in Fullerton College. He just said, ¡§I'm starting a theater in the Los Angeles area and if you want I would love to have you as one of the participants or to do some work there.¡¨ So I took him up on the opportunity and moved up there. He basically said, ¡§You have a lot of potential.¡¨ That was it.

GS: This was '85?
JSL: '85, 86.

GS: So when you got the part in Born in East LA, did you say to yourself, ¡§This is the life I want for myself¡¨?
JSL: Well, when I met Sal, after studying for a while -- meaning after reading some books about acting and this and that, and some of the books that Sal presented to me -- and the way he taught, I realized that this is something I could do for the rest of my life. I realized there was no end. It was all according to your imagination.

GS: So you liked it for freeing you?
JSL: At first you're completely afraid of it and that's sort of a good sign. If you're afraid of something and you find interest in it, go for it. Then it became like a therapy for my strict Chinese upbringing. So it started becoming more emotionalized after so many years of suppressing it, having a very strict father. Then it becomes sort of a lifestyle, and eventually it becomes an art, hopefully when you get your heels down.

GS: One of the most interesting movies you've been in is Map of the Human Heart. How did you get cast to star in that?
JSL: That was an audition, straight in. I read the script first and thought this is the most amazing movies I've ever read. I don't think I've come close to reading something like that since. But as far as giving you a visual interpretation of a movie, it was just there, the ethnicity and the whole thing. It was just very clear. And it was right up my vision of the kind of movie I wanted to do. It was primal, it had ethnic foundation, it had international appeal. At the time I don't think anyone really knew how to market an art film which is what it was being called.
When I went in for the audition, I looked on the list and there were names I had seen, and I thought, ¡§Oh my god, it's going to be tough!¡¨ Like Lou Diamond Phillips and Keanu Reeves. When you hadn't really done anything and you look at that those names you think it might be tough going, might be just another audition.

GS: Did they recognize your physicality at the time?
JSL: I talked to Vincent Ward the director at the time and I said why did you hire me? He said because you're the most believable person out of everyone that came in. I buy it. I said, ¡§Okay, that's all I needed to know!¡¨

GS: Is that still one of your favorite roles?
JSL: Yeah. When I look back, it's hard because everybody's involved in making you look the way that it is and it's all complementary to each other when it does come out right. Like Vincent's interest in believability. He sent me on this reasearch trip to the Artic and I spent like a week in just a small village, basically just snow, with 300 people in the community. And I really got a sense of things and how these indigenous people lived and how they walked and how they expressed themselves. It wasn't too far off the mark of how a lot of our native Hawaiian people are. In that sense, I sort of feel like they've given me a license to be a champion of indigenous cultures. I get it, I understand. I grew up in it and I know. Whereas I don't think some actors can actually claim that.

GS: How did you feel doing that love scene?
JSL: The main thing I remember was that I was cold,. My buttocks cheeks were shaking and Vincent was on that giant crane with a loudhailer, one of those bullhorn things, going, ¡§Jason, could you please stop shaking your buttocks!¡¨ [laughs] I said, ¡§Yeah, fat chance of that! How do you control that?¡¨ I am a physical actor but there are some things you just can't control.

GS: It must have been like 15 degrees.
JSL: It was an English countryside in late winter.

GS: Any other memories?
JSL: Just some of the hunting episodes I had when I was in the research of it. Also getting to locations was the most adventurous thing I've ever been a part of. You wake up in the morning, you put on your costumes, you jump into a Twin Otter plane, you head up, you fly for an hour to I-don't-know-where, you land in an open place that's just ice and rock, and you get into a skiddoo with a box trailer in the back and you head out for another hour and you're on location. There were no roads, there was nothing, just ice. But he color of the ice and the gradations of the sky, it was just mind-blowing. After a taste of that kind of adventure, anything that came my way that was going to take me to some remote area of the globe, I was going to go. I've been fortunate that way. My perspective is a lot more different than a lot of actors because of that.

GS: So maybe instead of Dragon, Map of the Human Heart is what got you into this primal man type of role.
JSL: Yeah, martial arts really evolved from that kind of mindset because people up there were really survivalist.

GS: Tell us how you landed the Dragon role.
JSL: [Dragon director] Rob Cohen was friends with Bonnie Timmerman who was the casting agent [for Map]. He called her on a whim and said, ¡§I'm looking for an actor to play this part and I'm finding it hard to cast, do you have anyone in mind?¡¨ ¡§Not really but I just ran into this actor who auditioned for me. I think that might be your guy. He has a good physique and did the reading tremendously well but we had an advisor here who claimed he didn't really pass for Mohican, but I think he's in between agents now so you might want to call him at home. Here's his number.¡¨

Jason Scott Lee as Bruce Lee in a fight sequence from Dragon: Bruce Lee Story.

So Rob called me and left a message and I had no idea who he who. I had finished Map of the Human Heart maybe six months ago and I was still high from that experience. I talked to Rob and Rob said, ¡§Would you come in and meet some people? I want to give you a script to read.¡¨ So I came in and everyone was waiting for me and I'm sitting there and he said, ¡§This is the Bruce Lee project.¡¨ I said, ¡§The Bruce Lee project? You mean like a biography? You want me to do his voiceover?¡¨ He goes, ¡§No no no, this is like his biography.¡¨ I said, ¡§You want me to play Bruce Lee?¡¨ He says, ¡§Right now what I'm feeling is that you're the guy.¡§

GS: He said that right off the bat?
JSL: I said, ¡§Why do you think that? He goes, ¡§Because you're athletic. I've looked at martial artists but I had a hard time believing in their ability as actors.¡¨ He apparently saw some footage from Map of the Human Heart and said, ¡§Hey, this guy has some ability to act.¡¨ He said, ¡§Please take the script and read it...¡¨ I said, ¡§You know what, I don't even know if I want to read the script because if you're talking about what I saw when I was young, it's impossible. You gotta be kidding me!¡¨
I've always been fairly honest with myself about what I can and can't do. Then after I turned him down he says, ¡§That's why I want you even more.¡¨ I said, ¡§Why is that?¡¨ He goes, ¡§Anybody that's that honest, who says they can't do it, that's the guy you want because anybody who thinks they can emulate Bruce is kidding himself.¡¨ There was no one out there at the time who could emulate him. People had tried. But when you're thrust into it and you know that everything is going against you, time and your own abilities, you're just going, ¡§This is hell!¡¨ But the outcome was close enough, I think. It gave an impression of the man and that's all I could do for my abilities at the time.

GS: When people think of Bruce Lee these days, they think of Dragon.
JSL: Yeah, because it's sort of an updated rendition of the man.

GS: ...With better scripts and...
JSL: ...better lighting, better camera work.

GS: So you've become Bruce Lee in a way. You've talked about how you learned from Bruce Lee's teachings but are there ways in which you are similar to Bruce Lee or that you share a lot of the same traits as Bruce Lee.
JSL: Yeah, I think there are some things. I can be very animated when I need to. I think that's something Bruce had. Physical abilities. I've been an athlete all my life. But I think the thing that differentiates myself and Bruce is his drive in the martial arts. His drive was in the combative sense and the physicality sense. It was much more fire going on. He had more gas to carry it out longer.

GS: He had more demons to drive him?
JSL: Yeah, yeah, to exorcise. Bruce in a sense was a street kid and he was a street fighter and grew up brawling and being kind of a punk.

GS: He had more to prove.
JSL: For myself, I didn't have all that stuff to have to get rid of.

GS: How did you have the physique and the athletic ability at that stage? What had you done to build yourself up to being a Bruce Lee prospect?
JSL: Ever since I was small we were playing on the beaches. Eventually we got into surfing and being in the ocean all day. And I was a gymnast for four or five years. In my elementary school days and my intermediate school.

GS: So that built up your physique?
JSL: My balance and my coordination and all the handstand stuff I do, or the kip-ups and whatnot.

GS: Despite all that, you still didn't want the part?
JSL: I had seen Bruce Lee movies. He was in a whole another stratosphere. He could practically fly as far as I was concerned. And the dynamics of his actions in the movies -- you can't get that in six months. You can try but you're going to have to enhance it somehow.

GS: You mentioned that you had to practice or had to take lessons for quite while before the film. You were saying that there was much that was painful and that you couldn't do. What were they trying to make you do that was so difficult?
JSL: At first I had a trainer. They gave me who they told me was going to be my trainer and had a knowledge of the arts in jeet kune do and apparently he didn't know it. It was kind of funny. I didn't know either at the time so I was kinda going along with it.

GS: You had never taken any martial arts?
JSL: I had done some tai chi but it was nothing combative. I kinda felt like I was being set off on the wrong foot. A lot of it was, ¡§Since you don't know the martial arts, we're going to lay down some dance steps.¡¨ You put your feet here and he moves there. That's not gonna work. You can't do that even with a ballerina. They have to know the technique. They have to know what to do. You can't tell them to go to this spot and move to that spot. It doesn't work that way. It was just ovewhelming because the time was being shortened and we were coming down to the wire and they wanted me to do this kind of screen test. I mean physically, yeah my body was fine. But in terms of coordination in the combative sense, I was way off in left field.

GS: Were they stretching out your legs? What kind of stuff did you find painful?
JSL: Yeah, all that kind of stuff -- lifting weights and bouncing around putting on K-Earth Radio and bouncing back and forth with the music. Bruce did that. That was sort of a theatrical effect even for his kiiyaiis. It wasn't the technique for learning jeet kune do. That was just bogus. It wasn't until later that I found out. It was like after I had done the screentest and they said, ¡§Go ahead, you got the green light to do the movie¡¨.
Linda Lee calls and says, ¡§There's a lot of Bruce's students who want to know who's playing Bruce and they want to meet him.¡¨ So she sent me around and this trainer drove me around to meet all these guys, about five of them. The last guy I met was Jerry Poteet. At first I thought, This is all well and good, maybe I can learn a little bit from each one. He was the only person who gave me a demonstration that I thought worthy of what I wanted to learn and was saying things that made sense. I told the director, ¡§I'm not going to do the movie without this guy. This guy is my ace in the hole.¡¨ Sure enough throughout the years he's proven it to me. So it wasn't just like an overnight sensation to meet someone and learn from him and move on. He's become my friend and he's become my teacher.

GS: You're still close to him?
JSL: Oh, yeah.

GS: By the time you did Dragon you must have gotten to a certain stage in your acting career because of Map of the Human Heart.
JSL: No, because it hadn't come out yet. It came out a few weeks after Dragon came out.

GS: You said you were between agents. Why?
JSL: When I did Map of the Human Heart, I thought the agent was greedy.

GS: What do you mean?
JSL: He wanted to hold out for more money and we were getting down to the wire as for the research part of the project.

GS: What did you want to hold out for and what did they offer?
JSL: They wanted to offer one-fifty and he wanted four something.

GS: That seems reasonable for that kind of role.
JSL: I was looking at it like it's a great role. I'm a nobody and they could care less.

GS: You fired him and said, ¡§I'll take it¡¨?
JSL: I may have been able to hold out and play that game but I never understood that game. Back then you're in it because you just enjoy doing it. Eventually you fit into the system that had been established. But for the most part you're going, ¡§F***! This is the best thing I've ever read!¡¨

GS: Is that when you parted company, before you took on Map of the Human Heart?
JSL: He said he was really upset by my decision to take the role and not be in support with him.

GS: Was he a big-time agent?
JSL: Not really, but I think he was very ambitious. But I just said, ¡§Oh well.¡¨ So after Map I was looking for new representation.

GS: So at the time you did Dragon did you have an agent?
JSL: No, when I got the part I took it into the agencies.

GS: Which agency?
JSL: I ended up going to UTA.

GS: Is that a medium-sized agency?
JSL: Not really, it's top-five like William Morris and CAA and ICM.

GS: Did he drive a hard bargain and get you top-dollar on Dragon?
JSL: No, not necessarily.

GS: What did he get you for Dragon?
JSL: Why do these figures even matter? So the public can see how much money I've made?

GS: Not necessarily how much you made but how much an actor would get at that stage for that kind of role. Some readers are aspiring actors so they have a legitimate interest.
JSL: But when you say a figure like that and throw it out there people take it at face value.

GS: We're talking about twelve years ago.
JSL: I mean they take it for face value that that's the money you're going to get. That's not the money you're going to get; you get about fifty percent of that.

GS: Was it in the six figures?
JSL: Yeah, yeah. Definitely, it was more than what I got for Map of the Human Heart but not by much.

GS: Mid six figures?
JSL: No, not even there.

GS: Did you get any residuals?
JSL: Yeah, whenever you work for a studio you get residuals.

GS: But you never made big money off this huge movie?
JSL: No, I could have done big money, say in the sense of Van Damme. You can make like ten million a picture or whatever.

Lee with Lauren Holly as Linda Lee in Dragon: Bruce Lee Story.

GS: Van Damme made ten million a picture?
JSL: Oh yeah, he's getting paid that, or Segal and those people. It all depends on what track you want to take. You can do that and say you're a clever businessman, but it depends on what you do with that money.

GS: Weren't you annoying your agents by not taking those kinds of parts?
JSL: Yeah, I've had discussions with heads of agencies, the head of my agency, one of the top guys. Basically they told me, ¡§You gotta understand this: work begets work.¡¨ I said, ¡§That's not true. Good work begets good work.¡¨ They said, ¡§We don't know how long we're going to hold out keeping you on our roster if you don't do some jobs.¡¨ I said, ¡§Well, you can let me go any time.¡¨
One of the agents was really behind me, and he goes, ¡§This is a different guy. You can't treat him like the rest.¡¨ I said, ¡§I'm not the kind of person to beg and plead to stay somewhere. You want me out of here, I'm out of here. I don't give a s***. My path is my path. It's not directed by you or anyone else. And my principles are my principles.¡¨
People tell me, ¡§After Dragon came out, you should have struck while the iron was hot.¡¨ I said, ¡§What does that mean? Does that mean that you can be a big success because you struck then? You're saying my career's going to be more prolific if I did that? How do you know?¡¨
Then I said, ¡§I'm moving back to Hawaii after Dragon.¡¨ They said, ¡§Why are you doing that? You're going to kill your career.¡¨ I said, ¡§Really, how do you know that? Have you done it? Has anyone ever done it? No. Then you're speaking from speculation. I think everyone should just shut the hell up.¡¨ [laughs]

GS: You've really had to fight to act in quality films.
JSL: You have to create your own character. You can't just be a run-of-the-mill, afraid of the system, afraid of these kind of people. I tell people not to get into acting because I was willing to sacrifice everything, my entire life, to remain pretty much on the bottom. If you want to make that kind of sacrifice, then make that kind of sacrifice. If good fortune befalls you, let it befall you. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But you'll always know you made the choice on your own.¡¨

GS: Has good fortune befallen you?
JSL: Absolutely. And it could be everything -- being born under the right star, or just having raw talent or some abilities. As you mature, you sense a feeling of refinement. I don't know what those things do, but maybe that's a quality they don't see in other performers. I'm not really sure.

GS: One of the low points of your career was Rapa Nui in terms of sacrifice and difficulty. You've said that experience made you decide to do only one film a year.
JSL: That was six months away from home and the entire time I enjoyed it! I've gone back there to visit friends many many times. It's not something that I've left in my past. That island enlightened me to a certain degree about life. It actually is a catalyst to how I live now. Easter Island in the native language is called Rapa Nui. It's the longest time I've spent with native people, real indigenous people who were still living a life of simplicity and isolation. And I felt the power behind that kind of lifestyle.
Earlier when I was saying that living away from nature people become confused, they no longer have strength of character. They no longer have honor. And those are the things that make a performer dynamic and powerful and someone with conviction. When you play a man of honor -- and these are apparently the heroes of our time -- you'd better have it. If you don't have it, you can't make it up. It's not something you can fake. It's all a part of having your own principles and being an artist of originality.

GS: What did you think of Kevin Costner as a director?
JSL: He didn't direct us. Kevin Reynolds worked with us. Kevin Costner was the producer.

GS: He never went there?
JSL: He came. He tried to direct until I told Kevin Reynolds, ¡§Uh, aren't you the director, Kevin?¡¨ He said, ¡§Yeah.¡¨ I said, ¡§Well, there's another guy sitting there who's giving me directions so maybe you should go talk to him.¡¨ [laughs]

GS: What did Kevin Costner think of that?
JSL: He didn't know. I just kind of brushed him off. The moment I met him in Hollywood at his production office, I realized I probably wasn't going to work with him, not as a director per se. There was a feeling of speaking down to someone. I didn't care for that attitude. I think no matter how much experience you have, there's no sense in speaking down to someone. You don't create good communication.

GS: He's authoritarian?
JSL: I don't know if that's his entire character but it's what I felt with my introduction to him.

GS: When you were casting Rapa Nui, had Dragon come out?
JSL: No, it hadn't. I had just finished it.

GS: So you were working without much of a track record. How did you get cast?
JSL: I auditioned.

GS: They just recognized your physical abilities?
JSL: I don't know. Kevin Reynolds just said, ¡§I like what you did.¡¨ There's some merit to that.

GS: So the first movie you were cast in after your movies started coming out was Jungle Book.
JSL: Yeah. I had met the director, Stephen Sommers and the producer. They said they wanted me for the part. That's one I didn't have to audition.

GS: So you were already a big name at that point.
JSL: Yes and no. I guess, yeah. Not a big name but I was a new sensation. I was the new kid on the block.

GS: Was the money much better for Jungle Book?
JSL: Yeah, yeah. Triple maybe the amount I got.

GS: Almost seven figures.
JSL: No, no, but maybe triple the amount I got for Dragon.

GS: Did you enjoy working on Jungle Book?
JSL: Yeah, Jungle Book was sort of a highlight because it allowed me to work with animals and also gave me a sense of playing fantasy with something I had grown up in childhood with, the idea of Mowgli.

GS: Did you also like doing a film that was directed at a younger, less sophisticated audience?
JSL: I didn't take it that way. I wanted to do something a little more hardcore, like the reality of a boy being raised by wolves. That would have been more fascinating to me. That was the line of study I had taken. But when I read Stephen Sommers's script, I realized that wasn't going to be true. This was going to be for Disney per se and it was going to have that storybook feel to it. I just worked with it and fit into that style of performance.

GS: There was a Peter Pan quality in the way you played Mowgli, a pixielike quality.
JSL: Yeah, that's what they were going for. Once you started seeing the color, the costuming, the sets, and how the performers were doing each role, I thought, ¡§Well this is fitting for this one.¡¨ So you just play it a certain way.

GS: There was a kind of a hiatus after Jungle Book
JSL: Actually before Jungle Book.

GS: Why was there that hiatus?
JSL: I was exploring a personal relationship.

GS: Did that personal relationship go anywhere?
JSL: Yeah, straight down the tubes. [laughs]

GS: Are you married now?
JSL: No, no. No children.

GS: Can we ask who the personal relationship was with?
JSL: Of course not. [laughs]

GS: Is there a significant other to whom you will eventually get married?
JSL: No. No scandals, sorry. [laughs]

GS: You did The King and I on the stage in London. How did you get involved in that stage production?
JSL: They were doing it in New York and they originally asked me to open the show in New York. But I was skeptical about doing stage at that time and I had other film obligations, so I backed out. When they said they were going to do it in London, the timing was right. I accepted it because I had never done anything on a big stage, especially on a big stage in the West End of London. It was in one of the old Dame theaters and there was just a classic feel to it all with a classic tale of this King of Siam. And I had never sang on stage so I thought, ¡§This is going to be challenging, this is going to be scary, this is going to be great!¡¨ I went and started taking voice lessons and started feeling what it's like to play in a big space. I think actors should do a big stage production if they can.

GS: Did you enjoy it enough to do it again?
JSL: Yeah, I'd definitely do it again. I have a different perspective on it now. If you look back on a job or a role, you go, ¡§I could have done this or I could have done that!¡¨ At the time you don't think of it because you're caught up in the whole thing.

GS: Would you do the King of Siam role again?
JSL: Yeah, I'd do it in Hawaii. I'd love to do something like that in Hawaii.

GS: But you had to cut it short because your father died?
JSL: Yeah, my father was ill so I came home and took care of him. I helped out my mom. I didn't fulfill my one-year obligatioin but I did about six months.

GS: Are you close to your family?
JSL: We're not the Waltons but we're close enough. We talk. We're not estranged from each other.

GS: It's said you speak Chinese.
JSL: The only Chinese I learned is from the martial arts. I know a little Spanish, a little French and a little Russian. I know a little Japanese but not Chinese.

GS: Have you ever felt obligated to represent Asian Americans?
JSL: Yeah. A lot of the Asian American population is struggling to get recognition. Whenever they have someone who can raise a torch to their cause, they put a lot of responsbility on that person. And I think that person in a way has been me.

Source: http://goldseacom/Personalities/LeeJS/leejs.html

2004-10-30T10:43:00.000+08:00

Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision (2003)

Premise: A fateful decision made on a routine mission to protect history from being changed leads timecop Ryan Chang (Lee) on a disorienting race through time to stop a madman.

Review: Low budget sequels to big budget movies minus the original star rarely deserve much attention and Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision is rare indeed. The film smartly delves into the paradoxes of time travel and the morality of altering it for the better while effectively traipsing through multiple time periods and tossing in liberal amounts of martial arts action refreshingly devoid of overblown wire fu. Underrated Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story star Jason Scott Lee steps in to replace Jean-Claude Van Damme in his first major martial arts role since and comes out a winner.

Timecop 2 is the sort of action film that demands your undivided attention for fear of getting confused, but it's worth the effort. Like the original Timecop, the film takes place in the not so distant future where time travel is not only possible, but requires policing in order to keep criminals from altering it. Jason Scott Lee plays Ryan Chang, a member of a small force of timecops charged with this task whose mission becomes blurred when Brandon Miller (Thomas Ian Griffith), a fellow timecop, attempts to assassinate Hitler before World War II breaks out. Chang thwarts the attempt and Miller is locked away, but he escapes into the time continuum and begins killing off descendents of each of the timecops so that he can right the wrongs of history unimpeded. As Chang races through time period after time period to stop Miller from erasing him and his associates from history, he witnesses the future slowly changing around him while his own ideals are tested by the opportunity to go back and keep his father from dying at the hands of a killer.

As one who has been long fascinated by time travel, I found this film's story to be quite enjoyable and challenging. Given some thought, most people would likely wish they could go back in time to change something, whether a personal loss or a global catastrophe. Of course in theory, even the smallest alteration of time could cause drastic change for the worse as explored in Ray Bradbury's 1952 short story A Sound of Thunder, where the crushing of a single butterfly by time-traveling dinosaur hunters in prehistoric time creates a significant ripple effect through time. Timecop 2 deals with all of these issues by pitting Lee against a man whose only ambition is to stop history's great blunders before they happen, while his initial efforts only cause other calamities that the film hints at.

Jason Scott Lee proves to be cut from the stuff that action heroes are made out of. With ample charm, looks, and solid screen fighting skills picked up since training for his 1993 Bruce Lee biopic it makes you wonder why he hasn't been starring in blockbuster Hollywood actioners ever since. Alright, Hollywood has problems with ethnicity, but I'll reserve that topic for editorial rants. It's still impossible not to face the issue when he's dropped into the old west or 1930s Berlin, but the script handles it well while Jason brings welcome humanity to his role. Griffith makes a great foil reminiscent of Rutger Hauer in the 80s, but with tae kwon do skills replacing inherent malice.

No one should come away from this film wowed by the martial arts action, but it is very competently choreographed by expert Jeet Kune Do practitioners Jerry and Fran Poteet. Jerry was one of Bruce Lee's students and previously worked with Jason on Dragon and Soldier. In keeping with the art's pragmatic approach towards confrontations, the action is reasonably grounded in reality yet still packs a punch. A prison riot midway through that Jason is 'warped' into provides some of the best action. The finale between Jason and Griffith doesn't hold up so well in comparison to Hong Kong's better standards, but the wind-up leading to it and the subsequent cerebral sparring gives the tussle meaning.

Timecop 2 is not without more prominent flaws. Budget limitations keep the period settings claustrophobic and occasionally unconvincing as in the poor Hitler double. The central use of paradoxes and theories relating to time travel on the one hand result in cause and effects disappointingly small in scale, while conversely they can become bewildering for the viewer as reality unravels around the main character. This film could have easily been a lot worse given the heavily-tapped time travel theme and its many pitfalls as a plot device. Yet the filmmakers and cast seem to have made the best of it. Ultimately, the film effectively balances out an intriguing sci-fi premise with solid martial arts action while providing Jason Scott Lee an opportunity to strut his stuff.

	-
	- Mark Pollard

2004-09-30T10:49:00.000+08:00

Jason Scott Lee: Interview

Review by Clint Morris

Interview with Jason Scott Lee
Starred in Dragon

Though forever remembered as a young Bruce Lee in the film Dragon (1993), Hawaii-based actor Jason Scott Lee is gearing up for one of his best year's yet.

The actor, famous for his action movies, is switching genres, about to star in the horror film Dracula II: Ascension and the science-fiction sequel Time Cop 2. Clint Morris gets the lowdown...

Director Steve Boyum talks to Lee
on the set of Timecop 2.

Can you tell me how you got into martial arts and why?

The Martial arts, in the sense of the combative arts, was introduced to me solely for the training of the film Dragon.

During the process of developing the skill necessary for the part, I became intrigued with the philosophy of Bruce Lee, which led me to want to explore this mindset more thoroughly.

You utilise your martial skills in nearly all your films. What styles do you use?

As I developed through training with Jerry Poteet, it became clear to me that a particular attitude toward simplicity was and is the most difficult strategy to convey in combat.

With that said, it cannot be confined to a style, but more a freedom of expression with principles. Whether you are wielding a weapon or empty handed, the only 2 styles that exist is the one utilised for film, and the one that will save your life.

Next year, you'll be seen in the Dracula films and also TimeCop 2, can you tell me a bit about both experiences?

They were both wonderful experiences! I exeptionally enjoyed working with Patrick Lussier, the director of the Dracula films. I would love to work on another project with him.

Any pressure on TimeCop 2, because you've replaced Van Damme?

None whatsoever.

Your most famous part is Bruce Lee, from Dragon, was he an idol of yours?

Yes.

The Dracula films are something different for you. Are you a horror fan?

Not in particular, although I like to be scared if watching a movie.

One of your first films was Back to the Future II - how was that experience?

That small bit at that time early in my career was a godsend. Good people, good experience, and a nice 2 month pay check.

Congratulations on the success of Lilo and Stitch. Was it that it was set in Hawaii the reason you opted to do it? And we will see you in the sequel?

I loved it for the fact that I could shape some of the dialogue with the local dialect. To give the film some credibility to the Hawaiian characters in the movie. Yes, I will be doing the sequel.

I read you Trained in Jeet Kune Do with former Bruce Lee student, Jerry Poteet, for the role of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Surreal experience?

More of a lesson in humility. A lot of hardwork, commitment and dedication.

I'm hearing rumours of a possible TimeCop franchise - and possible TV series - would that involve you?

No. The Timecop film was a one shot deal for me. Sci-fi was never a real interest for me, but the action was what lured me to the project.

Finally, what's next for you filmwise?
There's a few projects floating around as well as a possible venture into directing, so we'll see what happens next.

Brought to you by MovieHole

2004-09-02T10:22:00.000+08:00

Bradley on Prophecy 4 and Prophecy 5

There hasn't been much mentioned in the way of "The Prophecy" sequels recently - two new sequels were shot a year or so back and have yet to be released - but actor Doug Bradley gave Fangoria a bit of an update on both Walken-less installments saying they're worth hanging out for.

“We went back to Romania in the spring of last year to shoot those,” Bradley tells the site. “I actually only appear in part five as a photograph of a corpse, ’cause I meet an unseemly end in part four, in which I play a Romanian policeman—yes, it’s set in Bucharest... We have a pretty strong cast—Tony Todd is in it, though mostly in part five, same with Jason Scott Lee, and also Kari Wuhrer, Stephen Billington is playing one of the angels, Sean Pertwee is in it, so it’s a good cast. Joel Soisson [producer of the entire PROPHECY series] directed both of them.”

As for the sequels’ storyline, Bradley reports, “It’s fairly familiar in terms of the PROPHECY mythology as established in the earlier films. It continues the battle of the angels, the fallen angels; Lucifer is among them this time, and Belial, Lucifer’s old adversary, is pursuing him and flitting from host to host. He inhabits a variety of bodies as the film goes on, and mine becomes the last of his temporary resting places. It centers on an ongoing Book of Revelations, the idea being that Revelations was not the last word of the Bible—that it goes on, and is writing itself. It’s a pretty cool story.”

Speaking of horror sequels, Bloody Disgusting also have a bit on "Final Destination 3" today. According to the site, Tony Todd has confirmed that the film is a go again, and is currently in the early stages of pre-production.

[ Thr, 2-Sep-2004 ]

2004-05-23T02:34:00.000+08:00

2004-05-13T02:41:00.000+08:00

'Five-0' deal nearly in place

On the feature film front: the film version of "Hawaii Five-0" is progressing with "serious negotiations" for a distribution deal nearly in place with Warner Bros. George Litto Productions, which holds the rights to the "Hawaii Five-0" name and film, has just moved its production offices to WB's Burbank studio lot. A screenwriter is being hired to rewrite the original script by Roger Town. No decisions have been made on director or cast. Filming is expected to begin here next February for a summer 2006 release.

During a recent visit to Los Angeles, Hawaii film commissioners met with WB production officials, including Ravi Mehta, VP of physical productions, to discuss the project and the studio's concerns about available studio space on Oahu, considering the multiple network TV series which might still be filming here. If no space can be found, at least some of the "Hawaii Five-0" filming will be done in L.A. ...

Scouts from Jerry Bruckheimer Productions and the Disney Studio were recently on Kauai checking out possible locations for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel ...

In TV news, NBC execs will let "Hawaii" pilot producers know this Friday if the series is green lit. Filming would start on Oahu July 12. Some L.A. sources say the green light would mean "a slam dunk" for the series. Possible warehouse space for a soundstage is reportedly being looked at in Mapunapuna ...

Asian Media Watchdog has been campaigning for ABC to pick up the Hawaii-filmed castaway series "Lost" because it has a positive portrayal of Asian-Americans. Daniel Dae Kim is one of the series regulars ... and John Stockwell's "Rocky Point" for the WB network will definitely begin filming on Oahu in September ...

And in indie news, the "Fishbowl" short film project to be directed by Kayo Hatta (based on Lois Ann Yamanaka's book "Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers") appears back on track, with filming now scheduled to begin in August, a year from last year's planned start date. Producers are Linda Barry and Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga.

Hatta's previous film, "Picture Bride," will be released by Miramax next month ...

The National Japanese American Historical Society and playwright-filmmaker Lane Nishikawa began three weeks of filming in Los Angeles yesterday on his movie "Only The Brave," about the 100th/442nd all-Nisei Regimental Combat Team. The story centers around the team's rescue of the "Lost Battalion" of the Texas 141st Regiment during World War II. Film stars Nishikawa, Jason Scott Lee, Tamlyn Tomita and George Takei...

[Wednesday, May 12, 2004 Honolulu Star Bulletin ]

2004-03-30T10:50:00.000+08:00

An Interview with
Jason Scott Lee & Tia Carrere
("Lilo & Stitch")

StudioLA's Jim Ferguson chats with Tia Carrere and Jason Scott Lee of the Disney's hit animated movie "Lilo and Stitch." Foregoing 3D animation in lieu of natural watercolors, "Lilo and Stitch" tells the story of an orphaned Hawaiian girl named Lilo who happens to befriend a destructive little alien monster named Stitch. Is the power of ohana ("family" in Hawaiian) enough to save this fractured family?

Jim: Congratulations to both of you on the voice work that you did in Lilo and Stitch, it's very, very good, and I really do mean that. I have an eight year old granddaughter; I can't wait till I take her to see this movie, I know she's going to love it.

Tia: She could purchase some of the plush toys out in the lobby! (laughter)

Jim: Oh, I already have!

Tia: She's going to love them!

Jim: She will. I want to get technical at the beginning, just to start with. When I interviewed Tom Hanks for Toy Story, and Mr. Hanks has won a few Oscars, and he's a very good actor, but he said getting in that booth, doing the voice work for Toy Story, was the most difficult thing he ever had to do as an actor. Do you guys know where he's coming from or why he's saying something like that?

The lovely and talented Tia Carrere as Nani

Tia: Well, absolutely. I mean, you're in a sterile environment. You're called upon to just imagine everything. You don't know what the world looks like around you. I hadn't met my little sister, Daveigh [Chase, voice of Lilo], I hadn't met her until last night, so everything is taking place in your head. And it's - I dunno - it kinda sucks the energy out of you. So you really have to amp yourself up even more so for something like this, where you're not on camera.

Jim: Yeah, that's exactly what David [Ogden Stiers] and Kevin [McDonald] both said, who played Jamba and…

Tia: Pleakley.

Jim: Pleakley, that they just met! And they're a comedy team, in the film! Do you find it difficult to do the voice stuff, Jason?

Jason: Yeah, definitely. You know, it's not easy. I think, you can - like you said - you kinda gotta pump yourself up. There's nothing to play off of, you're imagination's kind of feeling around, and groping in the dark about this and that, and about your relationship to who and how you're gonna sound.

Jim: Yeah, I think the first time we met was Map of the Human Heart, and here you had an ensemble cast to work with, you know, other actors. But, it had to be wonderful, being both of you, being from Hawaii, and living there, and growing up, to play voices of characters from Hawaii. That had to be fun for you to do.

Tia: Well, the question of a Disney animated feature had come up previously. The casting director was looking for me for Mulan, and for some reason I was working in Eastern Europe, and my agent at the time kinda dropped the ball, and I was really upset about it because I wanted to be a part of the Disney, you know, the history.

So I was really disappointed, and then when Lilo and Stitch came up, being that it's based in Hawaii, I'm from Hawaii, it was just a perfect fit, and how they say 'Things happen for a reason.' It certainly happened for a reason, because with this one, I felt like I could put my fingerprints on it. And we're both from Hawaii, he still lives there! So they couldn't have hired two better people for the job, I think.

Jim: Jason, would you agree with me, your characters, being both of you from Hawaii, gives it a sense of credibility?

Jason: Absolutely. Absolutely. Cause, there's something you can't duplicate about the way. Even if you got someone say, you know who wasn't from Hawaii, and they said, "Okay, I want you to speak English, and it sounds like this," I would know, as someone from Hawaii, hey, that, that does not ring true. That's not really true. And the customs, the culture, the rhythms, and the tempo, and… I think, yeah when you talk about things, or when they ask you to improvise a certain something, it just comes naturally.

Tia: Yeah, yeah. I came up with a lot of different improvisations, too.

The handsome and talented Jason Scott Lee as David Kawena

Jason: Yeah, some stuff that she came up, I couldn't believe I remember that from elementary school!

Tia: Right! (laughter)

Jason: (laughter) Oh my god, you actually said that! (laughter)

Jim: A comment to both of you on a theme that I love: ohana. That's what this animated, wonderful film, Lilo and Stitch, is all about, would you agree?

Jason: Yes.

Tia: I think that's always at the heart and soul of Disney's features, is the feeling of a family, family values. But I think, putting it in Hawaii, and ohana, and it's… See, it's a very modern and complex story because it's… mother and father are missing. The sister's raising the sister, you know? Social Services is going to take the sister away. So these are very heavy issues. And I think, by putting it in Hawaii, and adding that whole element to it, and having the Stitch character, the villain that becomes a hero, coming from outer space, it took a very difficult and complex story and put it into a simpler, kinder time and made it easier to digest, the heart and soul of the family.

Jim: Of the family, yeah. Your character's so important, and I like what Jason does with David. He's always positive.

Jason: He's very accepting. He's very sort of like, "Yeah… let's… okay," you know? And I think to have that sort of a character standing by like that, is really sort of a nice stronghold for everything that's chaotic that's going on. 'Cause it's sort of something they can always fall back on.

Tia Carrere
8 in x 10 in
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Framed | Mounted

Tia: That's also very Hawaii, too.

Jason: Yeah, it's very Hawaiian.

Jim: Yes it is.

Jason: Through thick and thin, and that whole thing.

Tia: "Positive energy." (laughter)

Jim: Well, thanks to the work that you did and your talents, I believe this is going to be a classic that's going to be around a long time.

Tia: Knocking on wood. (knocks on wood and laughs)

Jim: Yeah. (laughter) And I want to thank you both so much, it's good to see you. And I want to tell our viewers, do not miss Lilo and Stitch, you're going to have a wonderful time. Take the kids. Thank you so much.

Jason and Tia: Thank you.

AsianConnections wishes to thank Disney, Tia Carrere, Jason Scott Lee, Jim Ferguson, and AC's Charles Min for making this interview possible.

2004-03-06T03:43:00.000+08:00

A television milestone for not-yet golden girl Emme

LOCAL TV producer Emme Tomimbang marked the 10th anniversary of her departure from the Channel 2 News by returning to KHON last night.

Tomimbang left the news business to start her own business, Emme Tomimbang Multi-Media Enterprises Inc., in 1994.

"Emme's Island Moments" debuted with segments on homegrown Hollywood actor-turned-farmer Jason Scott Lee, the band Hapa and surfer Rell Sunn. Last night's show caught up with Lee and the reconfigured Hapa and paid tribute to the late Sunn, who died of cancer.

"It was my way of going full-circle," Tomimbang said.

"Emme's Island Moments" uses archival scenes, but "will be nothing like a re-run," Tomimbang said. "We're looking back, to see where they are now." The show schedule is posted at www.emmeinc.com. Five hour-long specials will air in prime time and a 90-minute show will run after the World Series.

Tomimbang's other show has been picked up by KGMB-TV for a 13-week run at 5 p.m. Saturdays beginning April 10. "Emme's Island Living" is focused on celebrities' efforts to make healthier choices.

"We want to air it again because the shows are worth seeing and we want to do it again to attract a larger audience," according to Rick Blangiardi, senior vice president for Emmis Communications Corp. The company owns KGMB and KHON.

"I've learned more about television in the last 10 years than in the last 20," Tomimbang said. The on-camera learning got serious with her 1975 start as a KITV reporter and anchor. Since then, "I've had to force myself to learn the business end," she said.

Tomimbang has other irons in the fire as well. Her "Island-to-Island" concert series launched in February on Lanai with the Makaha Sons and Willie K. The plan is to do similar concerts on other neighbor islands.

The "Island Moments by Emme" clothing line, on which she consults with Iolani Sportswear designer Mary Miyaguchi, is carried by Hilo Hattie and Macy's.

"It's a licensing agreement involved in promoting. I do work on it with her, selecting prints and fabric-shopping on the mainland. I bring a lot of stuff back and suggest a hibiscus here, a Hawaiian design or scenery instead of what's there," she said.

Tomimbang also appears on in-flight video and audio programs for Hawaiian Air and Continental and jokes about being on the air, in the air and full of air.

"Some day it'll be nice to just play golf and watch "Golden Girls" and maybe do cooking and gardening. Those are my 'senior moments,' and I'm looking forward to them," Tomimbang said.

[ Friday, March 5, 2004 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2004-02-26T03:46:00.000+08:00

Oh no, Joe, the dirty laundry of it all

You won't be seeing KHON-TV anchor Joe Moore talk about his upcoming play "Dirty Laundry" during the Channel 2 News anymore.

"This is another fine mess I've gotten myself into," Moore chuckled.

At the end of the 6 and 10 p.m. news on Feb. 18, Moore talked about the play he wrote and will appear in, with Jason Scott Lee and others.

It was timed to coincide with the first day of ticket sales, Moore said. The play is a benefit for Manoa Valley Theatre, though it is to be staged at Hawaii Theatre April 18-20.

Moore met with News Director Dan Dennison and General Manager Rick Blangiardi after the 6 p.m. news Thursday.

"Rick did most of the talking," Moore said. The concern was that viewers might believe the play depicts Moore's unhappiness with the news at KHON.

"That is not the case at all," Moore said.

Nevertheless, "out of sensitivity for his concerns I agreed I wouldn't talk about it on our air," said Moore.

The tone was cordial and not as if he'd been taken out to the woodshed, he said.

He and Blangiardi don't agree on the play promotion issue, or on the decision to pull public service announcements scheduled to start Feb. 21, but "he's the GM and I'm the news anchor," Moore said.

Blangiardi confirmed the PSA would not air but would not comment further.

Earlier Thursday Blangiardi's address to the Hawaii Society of Corporate Planners' monthly luncheon was titled, "Are We Getting the TV News We Deserve?"

His remarks were similar to those made in previous appearances, along the lines of increasing competition in TV news to "create improvements not just for his stations but for everybody's," said Society President Michael Chong, a consulting engineer with Cedric Chong and Associates.

Members enjoyed the presentation, Chong said. "You can tell (Blangiardi) enjoys the challenge."

An audience member mentioned the play, and Chong said Blangiardi made it clear he wasn't pleased with the script. Moore has known that since he gave it to Blangiardi to read last fall. The play presents a critical view of the quality of television news.

"I shared the script with him and told him I intended to have it produced and to appear in it," Moore said. "He said while he was not thrilled with the idea, he would not prevent me from doing it."

[ Tuesday, February 25, 2003 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2004-02-17T03:48:00.000+08:00

1970: Irish politicians can't get any respect in Hawaii

MAYOR Frank Fasi called former Assistant DA Pete Donahoe "a professional in the tradition of Irishmen who made their marks in city hall politics across the country." Come on, Frank, can't you say anything nice about the guy? (Feb. 19, 1969) ... What happens when an Irishman such as Bob Mitchell and a Samoan named Dewey Reed team up? Well, they open a Jewish delicatessen, that's what. The pair purchased Tammy's Lounge at Hotel and Smith streets yesterday, and hope to have lox and da kine for sale in about six weeks. (Feb. 17, 1970) ...

AIEA'S Bette Midler was on TV Sunday night, preceding a 30-foot long train -- on her dress, dummy -- at the Grammy Awards. But none of what she said brought the winces that Andy Williams did when he said to blind pianist Stevie Wonder -- via satellite from Lagos, Nigeria, where they were having technical problems -- "If you can't hear us, can you see us?" Later Williams apologized, in case anybody thought (as nearly everybody must have) that he was making fun of Stevie's handicap. The awards program, top to bottom, was a total bore. (Feb. 22, 1977) ...

PETITE Sonya Mendez (known professionally by her first name only) and Anna Lea (along with the Fabulous Krush) will be performing at Wally "Famous" Amos' "Cookie-lau" Sunday at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand. And if you'd like them to prepare a free bag lunch for you, see them before Saturday at the Garden Bar of the Hilton Hawaiian Village and they'll see you get one on Sunday. (Feb. 22, 1978) ... That was Superstar Lynn Swann, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, baby-sitting Laura Blears Ching's 10-month-old Superbaby, Dillon, while grandpa Lord James "Tallyho" Blears officiated at the "Super Teams" tug of war. It was Swann who taped Laura's cracked ankle at the women's superstars competition a couple of years ago and advised her, "Now Laura, if you can walk, you can run." She did and collected some $17,000 for her efforts, crediting Swann with getting her on her feet. (Feb. 22, 1979) ...

Laurie Chinen is only 12, but she won the Junior World Golf Championship in San Diego last year and was named to an All-America team as one of the top three juniors in her age group. This summer she'll be in the 13-17 age bracket, and has been practicing daily at the Pali Course. You can see Laurie showcased in "Superkids IV," which airs tomorrow night on Channel 9. (Feb. 21, 1983) ...

LIKE mother, like son? Rick Ralston, of Crazy Shirts, thanked his mother at the luncheon where the local chapter of the American Marketing Association named him "Marketer of the Year." Rick says he inherited his creative talent from his mom, one of Walt Disney's first artists back in 1929 and at one time the voice of Minnie Mouse. (Feb. 21, 1985) ...

AND now, the "Million Dollar Windsock Lounge." That's the value of the insurance policy Blackie Gadarian took out on the old Kaanapali airstrip building housing the circular staircase and "High School Harry's" legendary saloon. Gadarian bought the place, and on Saturday he'll move it, Bloody Mary recipe and all, to Blackie's Boatyard, the Lahaina bar and, yes, boatyard he operates. (Feb. 20, 1986) ...

HAWAII was well represented on a single page in Daily Variety, the showbiz bible, the other day. At the top was an obituary on Bill Conrad, with a picture of the "Jake and the Fatman" star wearing a lei. Then there was a story on localite Jason Scott Lee, star of "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," being signed to play the lead in Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book," a $25 million project. And then a story on Paul Mercurio, who starred in a picture partially filmed in Hawaii, "Exit to Eden," directed by Garry Marshall. And finally, on the same page, an article about local girl Tia Carrere being named NATO/ShoWest's 1994 "Female Star of Tomorrow." The model-actress is probably best known for her roles in the "Wayne's World" movies. (Feb. 22, 1994) ...

[ Sunday, February 16, 2003 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2004-02-09T10:27:00.000+08:00

Frighten up your loungeroom

A bit of an update on a couple of Dimension’s direct to DVD horror sequels.

We can confirm that both (the long-awaited, highly anticipated) “Hellraiser : Deader” and “Dracula 3 : Legacy” are set for release on August 31st.

The latter is the last chapter in the bloodsucking trilogy with Rutger Hauer playing fangface this time. More of a ‘buddy’ flick than the previous film, “Legacy” stars Jason London and Jason Scott Lee, and is directed by Patrick Lussier.

“Hellraiser :Deader” from Director Rick Bota, centres on a journalist who uncovers an underground group who can bring back the dead and slowly becomes drawn into their world. As you do. The film stars Kari Wuhrer.

Talking of Kari Wuhrer, she’s also signed to star in Dimension’s “Forbidden”, reports KariWuhrer.Net.“March 29. That's when filming begins in Puerto Rico for Dimension Studio's Thriller "Forbidden" tentatively co-starring Robin Givens, Eric Roberts, Antonio McKay, K.D. Aubert, Lori Dawn Messuri, and Matt Cedeno”, says the site.

You’ll be able to pre-order both “Dracula 3: Legacy” and “Hellraiser : Deader” from our DVD Store.

[Mon, 9-Feb-2004 ]

2004-01-14T03:45:00.000+08:00

Impressionists headed for Academy of Arts

INCREDIBLY, the Academy of Arts is holding its first impressionist show in 76 years. Called "Japan & Paris: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and the Modern Era," the exhibition will feature two Monets, two Picassos and other works by Renoir, Degas, Pisarro and Toulouse Lautrec. More than 50 paintings of the era will be on view from April 8 through June 6. There's also a gala pre-opening party on April 6 and it's expected these tickets will be hard to come by ...

FORMER S.F. 49ers star lineman Jesse Sapolu will be teaming up with TV magazine host Emme Tomimbang to host events on Maui for the Hula Bowl game Saturday. That will include a concert by America, a golf tourney and the game itself. Dick Schaller, who's run several TV stations in the past, is now the new president of Hula Bowl Maui ... Former isle newscaster Emerald Yeh has been a highly visible reporter in S.F. for years, and is looking forward to spending time with her family -- twin boys and her husband. She's expected back in the islands at the end of the month for a visit with family and friends ... And Rick Quan, former island sportscaster, has signed on for another three years as the head sports desk anchor at KPIX ...

Names in the news

TWO isle actors have found themselves in the same movie, filmed on location in Kazakhstan. Both Jason Scott Lee and Mark Dacascos met for the first time while on location. They'll be returning there for more filming in May. The movie is a historical film about Genghis Khan and both actors play leads ... Songwriter and Broadway producer Dean Pitchford, pride of St. Louis High, spent some time over the holidays on Maui where he got together with Beverly Gannon. They have a mutual friend, Barbara Fairchild, editor of Bon Appetit ...

FORMER isle sportscaster Mel Proctor has been floating about town. He still does L.A. Clippergames on radio plus a little baseball for the Fox Network. He e-mails, "I'm just catching up on your recent columns and was sorry to hear about your injury. I always knew you were 'hip,' but sorry about the hip." For those who don't know, I broke it in San Francisco ...

Incommunicado

Then there's Jerry McGrath, now living in Kauai, but is a San Franciscan and at one time played for the historic softball team fielded by the Washington Square Bar and Grill. His son, Mark McGrath called them during a visit to S.F. at the same time I was incarcerated at Kaiser Hospital and they tried to reach me with no success. Jerry met up with friends of mine at Stinson Beach Grill and filled them in on the gruesome details ...

Several Honolulu schools are sending students to the All-Hawaii Alumni Association at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va., on Saturday. There will be a couple hundred graduates from the likes of Maryknoll, Kamehameha, Iolani, Punahou, St. Louis, the Hawaii Baptist Academy and Sacred Hearts, who will be there to share school-time memories with their mainland counterparts, while enjoying entertainment by a Washington, D.C., hula halau ...

[ Tuesday, January 13, 2004 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2003-12-05T10:28:00.000+08:00

"Prophecy" sequels announce titles

Moviehole’s received details as to what the titles of the new “Prophecy” sequels will be; having formerly only been known as “The Prophecy 4” and “The Prophecy 5”. The gang at Dimension – releasing the two direct-to-video sequels – have sat down, poured the Joe and come up with "The Prophecy: Uprising" for part 4 and "The Prophecy: Forsaken" for part 5. “Uprising” stars John Light, Sean Pertwee, Kari Wuhrer, Jason London and Doug Bradley. “Forsaken” stars Kari Wuhrer, Jason Scott Lee, John Light, Jason London and Tony Todd. The first film centres on an ancient manuscript which is still writing itself, known as the Lexicon, which foretells of the coming of the anti-Christ. It falls into the hands of a woman (Kari Wuhrer) who is pursued by angel’s intent on obtaining the information in the book. Thanks to 'The Master of Horror'

[ Fri, 5-Dec-2003 ]

2003-04-21T10:44:00.000+08:00

What Happened to Jason Scott Lee?

e's played an Inuit Eskimo (Map of the Human Heart), a Polynesian prince (Rapa Nui) and practically every Asiatic ethnicity in between, including the ultimate icon of his own (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story). Five have been bona fide romantic leads -- a major achievement for an Asian American actor. What has made Jason Scott Lee's roles so memorable for many is their animal physicality.
Sweat glistening over rippling muscles, Lee has battled, raged and made hot love -- not exactly the images Hollywood often links with Asian men. Like a true hero, he has saved studios big bucks in wardrobe costs and spared millions of females the rigors of imagining the physique attached to those smoldering eyes and full lips.
So what happened to him?
After Jungle Book (1994) and the cinematically beautiful, financially ugly Rapa Nui (1994), Lee sleepwalked through several forgettable movies. The last most of us saw him, he was Aladdin in the 1999 Hallmark miniseries Arabian Nights -- unless you were in London the following year and caught the stage production of The King and I.
Few Hollywood careers have risen to such a sustained crescendo, then faded so quickly.
Lee was born in Los Angeles on November 19, 1966 to a Chinese-Hawaiian father and a Chinese mother. He was two when his family moved to Hawaii. An undistinguished record at Pearl City High left him few options. A year after graduation Lee enrolled at Fullerton Community College. Before long he turned to acting and landed a bit part in Cheech Marin's Born in East LA. A credible portrayal of a tortured young Inuit led to an audition for The Last of the Mohicans. Too Asian to play an Indian, decided the director. So he suggested Lee for the lead in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993). The young actor's success in capturing the icon's moves and moods brought international celebrity, making him a latter-day reincarnation of Bruce Lee to the under-40 set.
It was a key that opened many doors, but they all seemed to lead to the great outdoors. Having been typecast as Primal Man, Lee couldn't seem to get near a role calling for street clothes. Meanwhile, he now spends a lot of time indulging his passion for growing tropical plants. He's even considering a career as an herbalist.
Hollywood careers built in loincloths having seen their heyday when Johnny Weissmuller played Tarzan, could Lee's physical beauty and animal magnetism have sent him down a dead end? That's one theory. What's yours?

[ Monday, Apr 21, 2003, 10:08:24 AM) ]

2003-02-16T10:04:00.000+08:00

2003-01-08T10:20:00.000+08:00

Interview : Jason Scott Lee

Though forever remembered as a young Bruce Lee in the film "Dragon" (1993), Hawaii-based actor Jason Scott Lee is gearing up for one of his best year's yet. The actor, famous for his action movies, is switching genres, about to star in the horror film "Dracula II: Ascension" and the science fiction sequel "Time Cop 2". CLINT MORRIS gets the lowdown..

Can you tell me how you got into martial arts and why?
The Martial arts, in the sense of the combative arts was introduced to me solely for the training of the film "Dragon". During the process of developing the skill necessary for the part, I became intrigued with the philosophy of Bruce Lee, which led me to want to explore this mindset more thoroughly.

You utltise your martial skills in nearly all your films. What styles do you use?
As I developed through training with Jerry Poteet, it became clear to me that a particular attitude toward simplicity was and is the most difficult strategy to convey in combat. With that said, it cannot be confined to a style, but more a freedom of expression with principles. Whether you are wielding a weapon or empty handed, the only 2 styles that exist is the one utilised for film, and the one that will save your life.

Next year, you'll be seen in the "Dracula" films and also "TimeCop 2", can you tell me a bit about both experiences?
They were both wonderful experiences!!! I exeptionally enjoyed working with Patrick Lussier, the director of the "Dracula" films. I would love to work on another project with him.

Any pressure on TimeCop 2, because you've replaced Van Damme?
None whatsoever

Your most famous part is Bruce Lee, from "Dragon", was he an idol of yours?
Yes

The "Dracula" films are something different for you. Are you a horror fan?
Not in particular, although I like to be scared if watching a movie.

One of your first films was "Back to the Future II" - how was that experience?
That small bit at that time early in my career was a godsend. Good people, good experience, and a nice 2 month pay check.

Congratulations on the success of "Lilo and Stitch". Was it that it was set in Hawaii the reason you opted to do it? and we will see you in the sequel?
I loved it for the fact that I could shape some of the dialogue with the local dialect. To give the film some credibility to the Hawaiian characters in the movie. Yes, I will be doing the sequel.

I read you Trained in Jeet Kune Do with former Bruce Lee student, Jerry Poteet, for the role of "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Surreal experience?
More of a lesson in humility. A lot of hardwork, commitment and dedication.

I'm hearing rumours of a possible "TimeCop" franchise - and possible TV series - would that involve you?
No. The "Timecop" film was a one shot deal for me. Sci-fi was never a real interest for me, but the action was what lured me to the project.

Finally, what's next for you filmwise?
There's a few projects floating around as well as a possible venture into directing, so we'll see what happens next.

[ Wed, 8-Jan-2003 ]

2002-12-04T10:09:00.000+08:00

The "Lilo & Stitch"DVD was released yesterday, featuring the voices of Hawaii's Jason Scott Lee (David) and Tia Carrere (Nani).

Now, for something completely different: Carrere's physical "talents" are featured in the December Playboy, which hits newsstands today. Carrere is featured both on the cover and in a four-page nude pictorial inside. The 35-year-old, who has eschewed nude scenes and pics in the past, says she shied away from posing in the buff because, as quoted in the pictorial, "I felt self-conscious about my body." Now, she says, she's more comfortable with her body. ...

[ Wednesday, December 4, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-07-17T10:10:00.000+08:00

Lilo & Stitch sequel official

Disney's announcement this week that "Lilo & Stitch" will yield a video sequel and television series is good but old news. That decision was made months ago, after a December screening in Honolulu, when Mouse House execs realized they had a major franchise in the animated feature film.

In the three weekends since its release, "L&S" has surpassed $100 million at the box office, taking in $103 million in 17 days. The video sequel's new director, writer and some animators visited Kauai for six days in May -- more than two months ago -- for research because Disney had already given the green light to the projects. The team, which stayed at Kapaa's Islander on the Beach, scouted Hanapepe, Koloa and Kapaa towns, and Poipu, Kapaa and north shore beaches. The group chose May Day week to observe keiki hula, visiting a third-grade halau at King Kaumuali'i Elementary School in Hanamaulu. Part of the video storyline has Lilo preparing her halau for a competition. The Disney group also asked to see a typical beach picnic, so three families prepared kalbi, barbecued chicken and poke for a gathering at Lydgate beach.

Tia Carrere will return as the voice of Nani; Jason Scott Lee, the voice of the surfer David, apparently will not return. Lee has also declined Disney's offer to work on the TV series, citing scheduling problems. No word yet if the Kamehameha Children's Choir will come on board.

"Stitch! -- The Movie" will be released in fall 2003 and serve as a bridge between the feature film and TV series. And "Stitch! -- The TV Series," is also slated for a fall 2003 launch.

In the video, Stitch is living on Earth with Lilo and Nani, aided by their friend, David, social worker Cobra Bubbles and fellow aliens Jumba and Pleakley. In a series of unfortunate accidents, Jumba's other 625 experiments also land in Hawaii and, one by one, are activated.

The series finds Lilo and Stitch searching for these experiments, turning them from bad to good, finding places where each can belong and contribute to the community, continuing the theme of ohana. Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau officials, who promotionally partnered with Disney, are "ecstatic" about the film's success but are still hoping for a second theatrical release, said Gail Ann Chew, HVCB's vice president of strategic partnerships.

[ Wednesday, July 17, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-07-03T10:11:00.000+08:00

The Rock is ready to roll as The King

Native Hawaiians meet the news that a major motion picture will be made about their history with the same trepidation that one has when going in for a colon examination: You hope for the best but expect a certain amount of discomfort, if not outright pain. Hollywood's track record at portraying Hawaiians as anything other than the clich?"happy islanders" is as bad as its track record for portraying every other ethnic minority as cultural stick figures.

So the announcement that Sony Pictures plans to make a movie on the life of King Kamehameha the Great elicits both great excitement and great suspicion. The announcement was made by none other than wrestling superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who has been tapped to play the king who united all the Hawaiian islands.

In one sense, it's a great pick. The Rock looks like Kamehameha. At least, he looks like the Kamehameha statue in front of the old court house, which may or may not look like the real Kamehameha at all. Choosing The Rock to play the king means that the movie will be a big-budget production in the vein of The Rock's two other screen credits: "The Scorpion King" and "The Mummy Returns." If those two pictures are any indication of what the Kamehameha flick will be like, look for lots of high-tech special-effects action. This isn't going to be your tutu's Kamehameha.

Which will cause some native Hawaiians to clinch up in dread. Will this Kamehameha be the real thing or Jean Claude Van Damme in a feather headdress kicking okole from Papakolea to Poipu?

Already you hear grumbling from the Hawaiian community that a Hawaiian actor was not picked to play Kamehameha. The Rock is Samoan, which in the world of movie-making is close enough.

Hollywood has come a long way since it cast haoles to play Chinese detective Charlie Chan. Local actor Jason Scott Lee played kung fu king Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon" with chilling, "chicken skin" accuracy. But as good as that movie was, it wasn't a blockbuster.
Unfortunately, even if real Hawaiians such as activist Bumpy Kanahele could pull off playing Kamehameha in a movie, he couldn't pull in a fraction of the audience that The Rock can. Kamehameha might have been a king in Hawaii, but in Hollywood, money wears the crown.
And considering the alternatives, there are many worse choices. The Adam Sandler, comes to mind. Or The Konishiki. Or The Woody Allen. Although Woody Allen would bring a certain wacky cerebral quality to King Kamehameha: "If we have to chase those guys off the Pali, can't we at least put mattresses or something at the bottom of the cliffs? I mean, they're having a bad day. And this war club is really heavy. Don't you have, like, a nine-iron or something?"

[ Wednesday, July 3, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-06-26T10:13:00.000+08:00

Sliding down poles, picking up brushes

WITH summer now underway, several celebs have been sighted enjoying the gardens of The Contemporary Museum. At one event for TCM Circle Members, fashion icon Geoffrey Beene was dining on dim sum while enjoying the exhibits. He's in town for a New York Times photo shoot of his Honolulu home. Champion surfer Kelly Slater, who's been helping Disney promote "Lilo & Stitch," put aside his board to view two TCM exhibits. Also there was actor Jason Scott Lee, who was one of the major voices in the Disney animated smash, who turned many a head. Maui legend Tadashi Sato's first major museum retrospective is on view there through Aug. 18 ...

[ Wednesday, June 26, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-06-26T10:12:00.000+08:00

'Lilo' revenues make Disney ohana ecstatic

Before "Lilo & Stitch's" release, Disney Pictures president Dick Cook said that no decision will be made about a sequel until the first weekend's box office revenues are "completely tallied."
Well, they're in and Disney execs are ecstatic. The film basically tied with Tom Cruise's "Minority Report" in box-office revenues last weekend at about $36 million. Disney animators already have scouted Kauai for the sequel. Maybe what Cook meant was whether the sequel will be a theatrical release or straight-to-video. The mouse house's best June opening was "The Lion King's" $40.9 million take eight years ago.
Cook confirmed a half-hour Saturday morning television version of the film will air next year. Several episodes of recorded dialogue are pau. Jason Scott Lee did make it to the Honolulu premiere, after all, because reshoots for his 2001-made "Dracula" film were postponed. Oops! And Lee's mom, Sylvia, did, in fact, join her boy on the red carpet for the Hollywood world premiere. ...

[ Wednesday, June 26, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-06-23T10:15:00.000+08:00

Death of a good man an all-too-common tale in Hawaii

Hollywood stars and movie industry executives came to Waikiki last week to see a comedy and instead were witness to a tragedy and horror show. Embarrassingly, for Hawaii, it was a rerun.

On the same day that the red carpet was rolled out at the Waikiki Twins to welcome celebrities such as Tia Carrere to the Hawaii premiere of the Disney animated movie "Lilo & Stitch," a violent, mentally ill man with a criminal record ran amok along the Ala Wai Canal, killing one and injuring two others.

Home-grown actor Jason Scott Lee, one of the "voices" in the Disney movie, probably had a hard time vocalizing to the out-of-town guests that the Ala Wai incident wasn't merely a tragic, isolated incident, but an all-too-frequent occurrence in a place where killers are let out of prison after serving only a year or two and never face jail at all if they can convince a judge they are mentally ill.

What made Tuesday's incident more painful to those of us at the Star-Bulletin is the fact that the man who died was Jack Wyatt, a longtime free-lance writer for this paper who, at 71 years old, was one of the most physically fit people I had ever met.

I wasn't a close friend, but from the time I joined the paper more than 20 years ago, I ran into Jack often, not in the newsroom, but all over the island. See, Jack was a walker, a runner and a bike rider. He was what we would call a "fitness freak" in the old days. But he wasn't one of sanctimonious "look at me, I'm in better shape than you are" kind of guys. He just depended on foot-power to get him wherever he was going.

And wherever he was going, he showed up with a smile, a big Red Skelton kind of smile. The last time I saw him, he had hoofed it over to a cross-country meet that my daughter happened to be running in. He had hoofed it over to watch people run.

I never talked to Jack about it, but I suspect he stayed in good shape so that he could enjoy his twilight years by being both vertical and mobile.

I wish I could have introduced Jack Wyatt to the judges and mental health "experts" who allowed Cline Kahue to roam our streets. I would have said, "Look, here's Jack Wyatt who's been busting his ass day in and day out to be a good person, to stay fit, to contribute to society. He's made a big down payment on his golden years. He deserves to enjoy them. So when you are trying to figure out whether to let someone who is criminally insane, someone who has a history of violence and hurting other people, free on the street, think about Jack Wyatt."

But the judges and mental health experts, whose names we never learn, don't think about the Jack Wyatts of the world. Their job, as they see it, is to figure out whether people like Kahue, with a history of violent assaults, deserve to be set loose among us. Somehow, they figure that while Kahue is too mentally ill to stand trial for multiple assaults, he's A-OK for hanging out in Waikiki.

Which is what Kahue was doing on the morning he decided to shove 71-year-old Jack Wyatt to his death in the Ala Wai Canal.

It's a dramatic tale but would not make it to the big screen. Unlike in Hollywood, in Hawaii the hero always seems to die.

[ Sunday, June 23, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-06-19T10:16:00.000+08:00

Soccer mom and dad are getting kicks

The Jones girl CONTINUING to ride a wave of success is Hawaii's Malia Jones. She'll be appearing on the ABC-TV special "Aloha Hollywood" Friday. Professional surfer and model Jones is involved in promotion and publicity for what Disney hopes will be its summer blockbuster, "Lilo and Stitch," featuring the voices of Isle actors Tia Carrere and Jason Scott Lee. Jones also stars in the Sheryl Crow music video, "Soak Up the Sun" from Crow's #1 album, "C'mon C'mon." Malia also stars in her own American Express commercial, filmed entirely in Hawaii. It premiered during the NBA finals telecast on NBC. You don't think Jones is hot? She's been in hundreds of magazines, including Sports Illustrated. People named her "One of the 50 most beautiful people in the world" and Esquire voted her "One of America's 10 Sexiest Athletes." No argument here ...

[ Wednesday, June 19, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-06-17T09:57:00.000+08:00

Monday, June 17, 2002

DISNEY
Daveigh Chase attended the "Lilo & Stitch" premiere yesterday in Hollywood. At right is the Lilo character she gives voice to in the movie.

Actress plans luau
for 12th birthday

By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

ORLANDO, FLA. -- Decked out in her white dress, with a red-and-white paper hibiscus tucked behind her right ear, 11-year-old Daveigh Chase is all smiles and cheery comments.

Chase, the voice of the 5-year-old Hawaiian girl Lilo in Disney's latest animated feature, "Lilo & Stitch," has met individually over three days with more than 100 news people who likely have asked her the same questions over and over. "It's been fun," she says.

"Lilo & Stitch" is Chase's biggest theatrical venture. She began recording Lilo's voice three years ago. She won the audition while living in Albany, Ore., and has since moved to Los Angeles, where she is pursuing a busy acting career.

"One of my dreams has been to be the voice of an animated character," she says.

It's an answer pretty much verbatim from the Disney press release on the movie and she sometimes had difficulty answering questions that veered from the film. But she seems to know the media, asking reporters, "You do know how to spell my name, right?"

She's never been to Hawaii, but in the years she's been recording Lilo's voice, she has learned words such as aloha, mahalo and ohana, which she says, almost mantra-like, means "family and never being left behind."

She plans to have a birthday luau when she turns 12 next month, but when asked whether she'll serve poi, she hasn't a clue what it is. "I'm just going to have a lot of Hawaii desserts," she says, giggling.

Chase and her mom, Cathy, attended yesterday's premiere in Hollywood and will attend tomorrow's private VIP screening of "Lilo & Stitch" at the Waikiki Twin theaters.

In addition to her role as Lilo, she has done voice-over work in the starring role of Chihiro in the English-dubbed version of Hayao Miyazaki's anime hit, "Spirited Away," which Disney is planning to release soon. Chase also worked on Disney's latest animated TV series, "Fillmore!," which debuts on ABC this fall.

She's also done live acting, just finishing filming the role of Samara for the feature film, "Ring," an English-language remake of the popular Japanese horror flick of the same name. Chase also completed roles in the films "Carolina" and "Silence." Other recent film credits include the overlooked "Donnie Darko" and "R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse," in which she played a ghost named Annabel.

She'll have a role in a fall Fox TV show "Oliver Beene." She's also appeared in "Touched by an Angel," "Family Law," "ER" and "The Practice."

Star-Bulletin: What was it like the first time you heard your voice attached to Lilo's mouth?

Daveigh Chase: It was kind of strange, but cool at the same time. I was surprised that she had some of my mannerisms. It's going to be very cool going to see the movie and not telling anyone there that I'm the voice of Lilo.

SB: Did you learn anything about Hawaii doing "Lilo & Stitch"?

DC: I did, but I forgot them -- oh, I learned about hula and did some, but I'm not very good!

SB: How are you like Lilo?

DC: A lot really. I put a lot of emotion into Lilo and I do it in my own life, too. Sometimes she slams doors at home and so do I. I am a bit of a loner like Lilo. I like friends, but I like to be alone, to read. But I don't bite people like Lilo! I also have a dog -- she's named Rosie.

SB: Do you argue with an older sister?

DC: No, 'cuz I'm an only child.

SB: What are some of your favorite parts of the movie?

DC: Oh, that's easy! It was so funny when Lilo runs up to her room and shuts the door and (her sister) Nani yells to her to go to her room. Then Lilo opens the door and says "Ha, I'm already here!" Oh, and I don't surf, but I love to bodyboard. And I love Elvis, too. I was littler when I heard his song "Unchained Melody" and I loved that.

SB: Do you know that Lilo never cries?

DC: That's because she's very tough. But I could have cried if they wanted me to.

SB: What are your professional goals?

DC: I want to keep on acting. Hopefully I can win a Grammy for my singing and an Annie (for animation, bestowed by the L.A. branch of the International Animated Film Society) for being Lilo. That would be so nice! When I'm older I want to become a robotic engineer. I do plan on going to college.

I love to sing. When I was littler, I sang country but now I'm into R&B and pop. Alicia Keys is the bomb! I love her!

SB: How did you get into acting?

DC: When I was 4, I used to watch Barney videos. I saw the kids on the show and said "I want to do that." And I loved the kids on the "Mickey Mouse Club." When I was 2, people used to say I looked like Tabitha from "Bewitched."

SB: Are you going to be in the "Lilo & Stitch" movie sequel?

DC: Well, I know I'm in the TV series, and that's as far as we have gotten. They're, like, reluctant to put me in the sequel because it's so far in advance and they're worried my voice may change. But I really, really want to do the sequel! I am very attached to Lilo.

SB: Is it too much work to have to study and act all in the same day?

DC: My work is like play; it's so much fun to act! All the people on the set are so nice to me. I have a tutor on set.

SB: How do your friends feel about you being the star of "Lilo & Stitch"?

DC: Most of my friends don't know. I don't brag or anything.

SB: What's the dumbest question a reporter has asked you?

DC: "Do I like Lilo?" That was pretty silly!

SB: Have you been asked for your autograph?

DC: Yeah and I love it! I will always give autographs, unless, of course, I am really tired, so it would have to be another time.

SB: What was the first thing you bought for yourself with the money you received from "Lilo & Stitch?"

DC: Well, I have a trust fund in California for all my earnings. My mom never really gave me a treat. We had a celebration dinner with my family when I got the part. I don't really care about the money because acting is so much fun.

SB: Are you going to be able to handle all the notoriety from this picture?

DC: Well, it is just my voice, but some people who worked for Disney have recognized me already. I don't think people will really know who I am. I guess I'll have to deal with it!

[ Monday, June 17, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-06-17T09:35:00.000+08:00

TIM RYAN / TRYAN@STARBULLETIN.COM
Jason Scott Lee and Tia Carrere met the press when Disney introduced "Lilo & Stitch" to the media last week in Orlando, Fla.

Carrere, Lee lend voices
to make Disney history

The city girl and country boy share an island soul

By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

ORLANDO, FLA. -- One is Hollywood, the other Hilo. She loves the bright lights, he shies away from them. Her nails are polished and gleaming as if she's just walked out of a Beverly Hills salon; his are worn and stained red from the volcanic soil he farms at his Big Island home.

Tia Carrere and Jason Scott Lee are at Disney World to publicize the studio's latest animation feature "Lilo & Stitch," lending their voices to a couple of the movie's Hawaiian characters.

Carrere, in a flowing red silk dress, diamond-encrusted watch and kukui nut necklace, floats confidently into the interview room where dozens of reporters find themselves suddenly transfixed. Lee, on the other hand, seems reluctant to be here, walking in wearing shorts, a purple T-shirt and slippers.

But he's the first to speak. "Aloha," he says.

Let the publicity games begin.

No one, it seems, can do multiple press interviews better than Carrere. She's polished and polite and only complains after most reporters have left that some should have come better prepared. Both actors are bound by their Hawaii roots and island ohana which, coincidentally, is the animated film's basic premise. Carrere, the voice of Nani, Lilo's tough sister, told Lee about the part of Hawaiian surfer David Kawena whom Disney was trying to cast.

"She called and said, 'Eh braddah, there's dis part for you in dis Disney film and I tol' 'em to call you and they going hire you,' " Lee says. "I was a bit hesitant because I didn't know if I wanted to leave the islands."

Carrere interrupts. "I said, 'Eh stupid head! This is a Disney animated feature; it's eternal, it's history. What's there to think about??"

The two actors were the only members of the "Lilo & Stitch" cast who did not have to audition. "I guess because we were the only people they knew who could speak pidgin fluently," Lee jokes.

Though the actors do not publicize it, there's another reason why they agreed to do the characters' voices. "Lilo & Stitch" takes place on Kauai and their characters are Hawaiian speaking English that occasionally lapses into pidgin. They wanted to make sure Hawaii and Hawaiians were properly represented.

"If there's a Disney animated feature based in Hawaii, I knew I had to be part of it," Carrere says. "I'm very proud to be from Hawaii. So there was no question (the role) was mine.

"As for suggesting Jason, it wasn't like it was some afterthought. He's the most famous actor from Hawaii I can think of."

Carrere, who attended Sacred Hearts Academy in Kaimuki, has her game face on for the series of interviews that will last some five hours. She is bubbly, personable, enthusiastic and funny. Her smile subdues the most calloused reporter and that stink eye blares, "Eh, watch it!" when a reporter starts to cross the line into personal matters.

Nani, her character, is pure tita; sweet when she needs to be and tough when she feels threatened. The fictional character and her real persona do not suffer fools lightly. So does life imitate art?

"Some people would call me bossy," she says after telling a tale of dressing down an inexperienced director in her previous syndicated TV series "Relic Hunter." "I went to Catholic school for 13 years to tone down that tita-ness in my personality."

But leaving Hawaii to find stardom in Hollywood at age 17 was a tough initiation for the self described "trusting Hawaii girl."

"I went to Hollywood with a boyfriend who turned out to be the anti-Christ ... a big scum bag," says Carrere, her voice lowering to a whisper. "I became a harder person ... because I had been gullible, naive, soft, pliable.

"That's why I got taken advantage of in the beginning," she said. "To survive, you have to have a tough skin."

Lee smiles at his friend's recollection. He spent eight years in La-La Land trying to make a name for himself, then returned home as he had promised himself. Lee last year moved from Oahu to a rustic home on 25 acres on the Big Island, where he has no electricity.

During the interviews, the self-effacing actor often lets Carrere take the lead in answers and he avoids talking to reporters about his back-to-nature lifestyle.

"I don't want to steal from why I'm here and that's 'Lilo & Stitch,'" he says, later. "I could talk forever about reducing energy consumption and consumerism, but I don't think the reporters want to hear that."

When a writer does pursue Lee's farming interests, Carrere can't help herself and cuts in.

"Oh yeah, he grows trees and other contraband and did you know hemp is a natural fiber?"

Lee laughs. "Thanks, Tia!"

Carrere herself has no plans for going native anytime soon. "Not until I can figure out how to run a blow dryer off of a solar panel," she says. "And I can't sit on grass without a blanket anyways."

WHEN CARRERE first reported to the Disney recording studio, she asked the movie's directors Chris Sanders and Dean Deblois if they wanted the pidgin "Americanized or how local people really sound in Hawaii.

"I told them if I did it strictly hardcore pidgin no one on the mainland would understand me," she said. "So we just put in a little flavor like when I call Lilo 'stupid head.'"

Often what had been written as pidgin was really "just bad English," Lee says. "They didn't have the rhythm."

Doing the voices by themselves in the recording studio was "a totally cerebral exercise," Lee said. "The hardest thing to figure out was how to calibrate the beat because it's just your voice," he said. "You're not reacting to another actor and you can't use your face or gestures to express an emotion."

The actors had to rely on the directors' observations from what they were hearing strictly through the microphone. "When I was yelling at Lilo, I had to ask how far away was she, how high is the staircase she's on, and am I standing, kneeling, squatting or running around," Carrere said.

She was so convincing in her "tita-ness" that the directors had to have her tone down her yelling at the 5-year-old Lilo in a few scenes.

"We couldn't lose sight ever that Nani and Lilo may have had a bit of an adversarial relationship but also loved each other," she said.

Nani, Carrere's character, also sings a short rendition of "Aloha O'e" to Lilo when she tells her little sister she has to leave. Carrere herself suggested using the Queen Liliuokalani song. "I called my grandmother up in Hawaii and got the lyrics from her," she said, disappointed that the song was so short. "I was so annoyed that the song is not on the soundtrack and they told me I could have one on the second CD. What the hell is that about?? I'm a lead voice!

"If there's a 'Lilo' sequel I will sing the title song and it will be Hawaiian!," she said.

"Be good now, girl," Lee warns her in a good-natured way.

LEE SAID THE directors did their homework about Hawaii culture. "The whole feeling of the islands is in the scenery, characters and nuances of our voices," Lee said. "Our fingerprints are very much on our characters.

"The bickering and love you see between Nani and Lilo is what you experience growing up in Hawaii. And I like that the film speaks about the difficulty of living in Hawaii," he said.

Carrere has already signed on for the animated TV series version to debut next year, while Lee has not.

"I live in Hollywood so it's easy for me to get to the studio, do a few episodes and then go shopping at Barney's," Carrere said.

Lee declined because there are other priorities on his dream list.

"I don't want to be tethered and have to come back to Hollywood any time they need me," he said.

The two actors attended yesterday's world premiere in Hollywood; only Carrere will be at tomorrow's special screening in Waikiki.

"Tell da peeps back home that Jason Scott Lee isn't coming to Honolulu 'cuz he's gone Hollywood," Carrere says, poking Lee in the arm.

"I would love to be there, but I have to stay in L.A. to reshoot some scenes for a movie I did last year," he explains. "I committed to it before I knew about the Honolulu screening.

Her scolds Carrere: "Don't be so Nani."

[ Monday, June 17, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-06-17T09:33:00.000+08:00

TIM RYAN / TRYAN@STARBULLETIN.COM
A plastic palm tree was put in place outside Disney's El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Boulevard yesterday in preparation for the premiere of "Lilo & Stitch."

A shaka celebration

An animated film set in Hawaii
debuts amid glitz and glamour

» Carrere, Lee lend voices to make Disney history
» Kamehameha chorus has fun 'Lilo' debut
» Actress plans luau for 12th birthday

By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. -- The entertainment capital of the world looked more like Kalakaua Avenue when a section of famed Hollywood Boulevard was transformed into a tropical set for the world premiere of Disney's major animated summer release, "Lilo & Stitch." Dozens of stars and all the film's voiceover actors walked down a 100-yard red carpet at the company's El Capitan Theater before a few thousand fans and more than 200 news media.

Hawaii's own Tia Carrere, the voice of Nani, received the most cheers and pleas for autographs. The actor, the last celeb to walk the carpet in temperatures that hovered near 90, was cool in a pink, knee-length dress and matching shoes.

Fans gathered on the bleachers chanted "Tia, Tia, Tia," as she approached. Carrere accommodated virtually every request for an autograph and gave the shaka sign during several television interviews.

"I am so sweaty," Carrere joked with fans, then seeing someone from Hawaii yelled, "Eh, where's da poke?"

Jason Scott Lee, the voice of the surfer David, was one of the first down the carpet in his green palaka shirt, gray slacks and slippers.

"Can you believe I'm actually walking down a red carpet?" he said. "I've done it before, but they're never the same."

It was a homecoming of sorts for Lee, who reunited with longtime friend Denny Moynahan, hired to play an ukulele as the character King Kukulele in front of the theater at the premiere. (The two men met some 18 years ago when both were studying acting in Southern California.)

Lee's mom, Sylvia, of Pearl City, joined her son inside the theater to see the film, but declined a walk down the red carpet.

DISNEY
Jason Scott Lee, Daveigh Chase and Tia Carrere posed for photos in front of the El Capitan Theater.

Most of the celebs donned aloha wear, except for Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who wore a suit and open-collared shirt.

Eleven-year-old Daveigh Case, the voice of Lilo, wore a blue muumuu. "I've been to premieres before, but this is the first one where I'm the star," she said.

Her mom, Cathy, egged on the bleacher crowd with the cheer, "Lilo, Lilo, Lilo!"

Jodie Foster (sans children), Lisa Marie Presley (with her three kids) joined Kelli Ripa of the "Regis & Kelli Show" conducting celebrity interviews in a closed tent area.

The Judds were out in full force -- a conservatively dressed Ashley, mom Naomi and colorful Wynonna. Wynonna performs Elvis Presley's "Burnin' Love" in the movie and sang it on stage following the screening.

Also getting the red-carpet treatment were Patricia Arquette, Michael Clarke Duncan, Dave Winfield, Joanne Worley, Fred Williard, Alan Thicke, Eric Stoltz, Katey Sagal and Gregory Hines.

Many of the other celebs attending the premiere have starred in previous Disney films or will in the future, including singer/songwriter Phil Collins, Dave Foley, Queen Latifah and Estelle Harris.

Once VIPs got inside the El Capitan Theater, they were treated to "Lilo & Stitch" popcorn and live Hawaiian music. Just before the film began, the Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus performed the chant and song they sing in "Lilo & Stitch," alongside singer-songwriter Mark Hoomalu.

Los Angeles-based Hula Halau O Kamuela Elua, under the direction of kumu hula Kanewa Mook, also performed.

Afterward, Lee and Carrere led a standing ovation for the proud performers. And somewhere in the farthest reaches of the theater someone yelled "Hana hou!"

[ Monday, June 17, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-06-17T08:35:00.000+08:00

TIM RYAN / TRYAN@STARBULLETIN.COM
Chorus members surrounded "Lilo & Stitch" director Clark Spencer after greeting him with chants of "Sequel! Sequel! Sequel!" in the theater lobby.

Kamehameha chorus
has fun ‘Lilo’ debut

By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

HOLLYWOOD >> Kaimana Morris hops off the bus, festooned with a large Disney logo, onto the dark gray sidewalk with large gold stars. She slowly leans her head back until she can see all of the glittering El Capitan Theatre marquee where 4-foot letters spell out "Lilo & Stitch."

"Wow!" says the 12-year-old when she gets her first glimpse at the inflatable, one-story-tall, blue alien with six legs and 10 pointy teeth atop the marquee. "Hey, that's Stitch!"

Soon, a dozen more Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus members follow her off the bus and peer at the odd creature created by Disney animators, while the other 20-plus members of the group check out Hollywood's Walk of Fame, recognizing names like Burt Reynolds, Cuba Gooding Jr., Garry Marshall, Ron Howard, all set in bronze stars.

The Kamehameha Schools Chorus is here to prepare for their 15 minutes of fame, appearing in last night's world premiere of "Lilo & Stitch" and ABC's "Aloha from Hollywood" special that will featuring the group, a mainland halau, Wynonna Judd and others.

The chorus, under the direction of Lynell Bright and husband Clarke, recorded two songs in December back in Honolulu for this animated film, which Disney executives hope will be the studio's next "Mulan." The keiki and eight chaperones arrived in Los Angeles last week to perform at yesterday's world premiere, which included the rare closing of Hollywood Boulevard for two days (one of them to build an elaborate beach set) and a day for the red-carpet premiere.

"This is a big deal," says Clarke Bright outside the theater.

The chorus of fifth- through seventh-graders rehearsed some eight hours to perform alongside Hula Halau O Kamuela Elua, under the direction of kumu Kunewa Mook, brother of late kumu Paleka Mattos.

The children, dressed in white "Lilo & Stitch Premiere 2002" polo shirts and blue pants or dresses, make their way down Hollywood Boulevard to the side stage door a few steps from famed Hollywood High School.

"We did the World Bank convention opening and performed in Japan last year, so this shouldn't be any tougher," says Belle Baxley, 11, and a chorus veteran of two years. "We know the songs and we made the recording already."

TIM RYAN / TRYAN@STARBULLETIN.COM
Lynell Bright, Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus director, encouraged the group with a shaka during rehearsal yesterday at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.

Jessica Kauhane looks a bit dazed as she steps over several thick power cables snaking from production trucks into the theater. She tentatively climbs the few steps to the back stage, her "Talent" credentials swinging to and fro around her neck.

"I am nervous," she whispers. "I'm nervous about going onstage and falling on my face and millions of people seeing me. I'm really not that graceful."

The chorus recorded the chant that opens "Lilo & Stitch" and the catchy song for the movie's surfing sequence, "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride." They've been practicing for this performance for a few months and saw the movie twice before yesterday's premiere.

The group beams when they're led into the theater for a backstage tour and to their dressing rooms by Holly, the theater's no-nonsense stage manager. The rooms are filled with large, framed posters of Disney animated classics and more recent hits. Kamehameha Chaplain Kordell Kekoa, whose son is in the chorus, quickly poses for a picture in front of the "Dumbo" poster.

Before the rehearsal, Clarke Bright offers last-minute instructions. "We want you to continue to be professional as you have been up to now," he says. "Professional behind and in front of the camera."

But before the chorus takes center stage, Mook's halau of 22 dancers, six conch shell blowers and singer-chanter-songwriter Mark Hoomalu (who wrote the chant and "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride") will rehearse.

Mook, the Hawaiian cultural advisor on the film and voice of the movie's kumu hula character, recommended Hoomalu to Disney. The film company wanted a chant that would be accessible to the masses, said Mook.

Mook and Hoomalu huddled with composer Alan Sylvestri to come up with a chant that represents a simple "mahalo" to Queen Liliuokalani for standing up for the Hawaiian people, and presents keiki as the hope for Hawaii's future. The chant also is up-tempo, another departure from the traditional form.

"I made it a soul chant," says Hoomalu, an Aiea High School graduate who now lives in Hayward, Calif. "'Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride' took me, like, 24 hours to write. I was up all day and all night to get something down on paper because they needed it like now! They wanted something upbeat and fun."

THE REHEARSAL is brief, though Mook instructs his dancers several times to "stretch it" and "keep those fingers straight."

"It's show time," says chorus member Gabriel Papa. "It'll be a nightmare if the camera gets really close to my face. Maybe I should brush my teeth again!"

The chorus lines up on the theater's two side aisles, then walks to the stage, chanting along with Hoomalu, gathering behind him for "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride." Over four hours, Lynell Bright leads her charges through rehearsal, trying to keep their energy up. She waves her arms high to get more volume from the singers, occasionally pointing to her own smiling face for them to copy, swaying back and forth to keep them in tempo.

"Rachel, look pleasant!" Bright yells. "Focus, focus! Remember, everyone will be watching you. Megan and Drew, you have to start swaying from the beginning."

Hoomalu becomes a sort of Pied Piper for the keiki chorus, keeping their spirits up. When he flashes the shaka sign, all the kids pick up on it and do the same.

"Yes, yes," the show's artistic director says. "Interaction! That's great, beautiful, exactly what we want! Have fun, have fun!"

TIM RYAN / TRYAN@STARBULLETIN.COM
Signs backstage point the way for assistant Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus director Clarke Bright.

As the chorus' voices echo through the theater, crew members decked in neon-bright aloha shirts smile. Even stage manager Holly momentarily drops her guard to attempt a bit of hula. A few Disney executives move their shoulders to the rhythm, including "Lilo & Stitch" producer Clark Spencer.

"They're so incredible," he says, later. "What a contribution they made to this film. It screams Hawaii, doesn't it?"

AFTER THREE HOURS the kids get a break. Some sprawl on a carpeted stairwell; some lie on benches, leaning against one another for support. When Spencer joins them in the lobby, several kids yell, "Hi Clark!"

The kids and producer are buds. That's because Spencer and directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois made good on their promises: to bring the completed film to Honolulu for a secret Mother's Day preview and to get every chorus member's name on the film's ending credits.

"Way to go," someone yells when told of the credits' listing.

The Brights present the filmmaking trio with Hawaiian gift baskets, and give Spencer poster-size photo prints, taken by Alan Takano, of the chorus singing the film's two songs at Sunset Beach and Waimea Falls Park for the video shown last night on ABC.

When someone yells for a group picture, the chorus rushes around the producer. On three, the kids yell "Sequel!" and Spencer laughs.

"Yes, a sequel is planned, and a television series," Spencer says to a round of applause.

The kids are done for the day but will return early tomorrow for a two-hour dress rehearsal. On their bus ride back to their hotel, they pass familiar fast-food restaurants. Both the chorus and chaperones joke about finding Hawaii delicacies there like lomilomi salmon, kalua pig and laulau.

"What I wouldn't give for a plate lunch," Clarke Bright jokes.

"Mr. Clarke," someone from the back of the bus yells. "Did you forget? We're in Hollywood!"

[ Monday, June 17, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-04-05T09:40:00.000+08:00

Investors gather
for private
stage reading

"The Silk Curtain," written by
Kahala resident Consulina Wong,
follows the Empress Tzu Hsi

By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

Potential investors from Hollywood to Hawaii and beyond gather here tomorrow for a private stage reading of the independent film "The Silk Curtain" to be co-produced by Michael Cimino, whose "The Deer Hunter" won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1979.

The screenplay was written by Kahala resident Consulina Wong, who would portray the Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi, who ruled China for 47 years until 1908. The story follows the empress from her mid-30s to early 70s.

The private reading will be held at the Kumu Kahua Theatre.

It's the first time a staged reading to raise funds for a major motion picture has been done in Hawaii, though the practice is common in Hollywood for studio executives who have the authority to green-light a project, Wong said.

"Originally we were going to do this in Los Angeles, but I decided with Hawaii's great pool of talent including actors, why not do it here," she said.

Some 114 invited guests are expected to attend, including Hawaii Film Office manager Donne Dawson and the state's high-technology guru Joe Blanco.

Wong declined to specify the film's budget or how much she hopes to raise from the investors. But "The Silk Curtain," which will be filmed entirely in China, will cost far less than the typical Hollywood motion picture, about $50 million, Wong said.

She also declined to reveal the names of the investors and other guests she's invited to the reading except for Lee Caplin, producer of "Ali," starring Will Smith.

"The Silk Curtain" will be produced by COJODA Productions, a Honolulu-Hong Kong company, along with Cimino and Hong Kong producer Philip Lee. Whatever the outcome of tomorrow's reading, Wong said "The Silk Curtain" will be made.

"I really want 'The Silk Curtain' to be a complete Hawaii project as far as backing as well as many local actors and all the post-production work," Wong said.

Cimino said he was drawn to "The Silk Curtain" by the strength of the characters and "the intimate story about their relationships played out against one of the most tumultuous periods in China's history."

Cimino wrote the Clint Eastwood movie "Magnum Force" and also directed "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "Year of the Dragon," "Desperate Hours," "The Sunchaser" and the financial disaster "Heaven's Gate."

Wong received a Po'okela award for her lead performance in "The World of Suzie Wong."

Philip Lee is a veteran producer and associate producer of Hong Kong films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "The Bruce Lee Story" and "M Butterfly." He is currently co-producing Zhang Yimou's new film, "Hero."

Jason Scott Lee, who is being considered for the lead in "The Silk Curtain" and another part, will read the male lead role at the stage reading, which is being directed by Melonie Hofstetter, who is known locally for her short film "The Chewing Gum and Mrs. Andrews," which won Best Comic Short Film at the 2001 Hawaii International Film Festival.

Other participants in the stage reading are Dawe Glover, Gary Sprinkle, Pamela Young, Fran Ward, Wayne Ward, Keith Kashiwada, Jade Glover, Mary Ann Changg, Edward Sciafani, Seth Char, Branin, Taryn and Charis Shimizu.

[ Friday, April 5, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2002-03-17T09:42:00.000+08:00

[ MAUKA-MAKAI ]

Looking for what
makes him whole

Fresh off a vampire film,
Jason Scott Lee reflects on
the hollowness of Hollywood

By tim ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

Jason Scott Lee played two roles in "Dracula Resurrection," filmed last fall in Romania. On screen he was a Catholic priest vampire slayer who "took lots of heads," he says. Behind the camera, the Pearl City High School graduate became a healer after several members of the cast developed stomach problems from unfamiliar food.

"I made ginger tea for everyone," Lee said during an interview at his Volcano, Big Island, home. "I had to push a bit for them to drink it, but it did the trick.

"I like taking care of people," he said. "It's just one human being understanding another's needs."

Last year was "a hell of a year," Lee says. "I think I grew spiritually, physically and professionally because I had to."

Lee, 35, starred for six months in a stage production of "The King and I" in London, spent three months in Romania for "Dracula," worked on an organic farm in Japan for six weeks, visited Tibet and China, moved from his ocean-view Kaaawa home to 25 acres of rain forest in Volcano, and mourned the death of his father.

Lee, a mixture of Chinese and Hawaiian, is an accomplished jeet kune do martial artist, which may explain why he was picked to play Bruce Lee in the 1993 film "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story." Since then he's appeared in "Map of the Human Heart" (1993) , "Rapa Nui" (1994), "Jungle Book" (1994), "Picture Bride" (1995), "Murder in Mind" (1997), "Soldier" (1998) and "Tale of the Mummy" (1998).

His voice will be heard this summer in the Disney animated feature "Lilo & Stitch," a story based on Kauai. Lee currently is in Los Angeles filming the straight-to-video Universal Studios production of "Time Cop II." He will choreograph much of the fight scenes, striving "to make the action as honest as possible with a minimum of special effects."

Lee was born in Los Angeles, but the family moved to Oahu when he was 2. He has an older brother and sister and two younger brothers who are twins.

"Jason was always a good kid," said his mother, Sylvia Lee, "so easy to get along with. He was always willing to help out with things, was never demanding. He was my easiest son to raise, nonmaterialistic."

The Lees taught their son at an early age to treat people the way he wants to be treated, whether it's a studio head or a janitor.

"Jason was pretty naive in high school; he got along with everyone, always saw the good in people," Sylvia says. "But he's persistent and a fighter and a survivor."

Lee graduated from Pearl City High School in 1984 and attended Leeward Community for one year in 1985. In 1986 he moved to Southern California, where he enrolled at Fullerton Junior College and lived with family friends.

At Fullerton an acting instructor suggested Lee take acting classes, and he signed up for a class as an elective.

"I was taking a full load of studies and wasn't very happy about it," he said, "but it was something I felt I had to do.

"I felt myself opening up," Lee said, "but I had no idea even how to walk out on stage until my second semester."

Enter acting teacher Sal Romeo. "He emphasized the spiritual side of acting and the exploration of the subconscious, the quieting of mind chatter."

Lee moved to Hollywood to take the acting workshops while attending Los Angeles City College. Lee never completed his first year at the school, instead opting to join Romeo's new theater group, the Friends and Artists Theater Ensemble, where he had small parts in the ensemble's productions of "Marat/Sade" and "Balm in Gilead."

During his three years at the theater, Lee worked odd jobs: cleaning lobster tanks, steam-cleaning kitchens, gardening and maid work. He landed a bit part in Cheech Marin's "Born in East L.A." as well as small roles in "Back to the Future: Part II" and the CBS TV movie "Vestige of Honor."

Then Vincent Ward's lyrical "Map of the Human Heart" came along.

Lee's trek through the Hollywood system has not changed him into an unapproachable icon. He's just as shy, self-effacing and single as he was after the whirlwind of publicity he received from starring in "Map of the Human Heart," his breakout film.

Lee occasionally teaches acting workshops and regularly appears at functions designed to promote Hawaii and the state's film industry. Fame and a bit of fortune have brought the actor to a surprising mind-set.

"I understand clearly that filmmaking is a very superficial demand, and the Hollywood thing is not what makes people whole," he said. "Acting is what I do, it's not who I am. I have no concern about my status. My fame has nothing to do with anything important in life."

Lee dislikes Hollywood's reliance on special effects to attract audiences and how it diminishes and overshadows actors' crafts.

"The most expensive film I made cost $80 million; with all the special effects, I found the experience really unrewarding, though I received the most money I've ever made," he said. "I told myself after it was over that I can't keep doing this unless I have other motivations."

The "other motivations" are to use his notoriety to help teach people how to simplify their lives. Simplifying is the reason he moved to the Big Island.

"It's my back-to-nature trip," Lee says, smiling.

On his property, Lee has removed non-native vegetation and in its place planted koa and sandalwood, in one spot Chinese herbs. He plans to raise ginseng and fruit.

"I wanted space where I can plant and grow things and live off the grid" as much as possible, he said. "A lot of my concerns are about energy consumption. I looked at solutions and came to one conclusion: I was part of the problem, so I changed my lifestyle. It's really pretty simple."

Lee lives pretty much off the grid. His small home has no electricity. Water is collected in a cistern, and toilet facilities are an outhouse. He has no television, so Lee didn't know for several hours about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks until his mom, Sylvia, called from Honolulu.

Perhaps Lee's greatest professional challenge last year was starring onstage in "The King and I."

"I was scared to death, but I wanted to grow in that arena," he said. "I wanted to feel what it's like to perform live before 2,700 people. I learned to sing, I think, and develop a different kind of stamina."

For all his seriousness about acting and the environment, Lee turns giddy when asked about his love life.

"Oh, man, free and easy, I am sooo single," he says, laughing. "But I love to engage in conversations and help wherever I can. You know, I discovered that women love that nurturing kind of thing.

"I finally learned the secret."

[ Sunday, March 17, 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2001-10-12T09:45:00.000+08:00

COLDWELL BANKER PACIFIC PROPERTIES
The Kaaawa home of kamaaina actor Jason Scott Lee
is slated to close escrow next month. It listed
for $488,888.

Actor Lee’s
Oahu home sells

By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com
First Tom Selleck sells his Black Point home and now Hawaii's own Jason Scott Lee is close to selling his much renovated Windward Oahu abode.
Lee's Kaaawa house, the actor's first home purchase, is slated to close escrow Nov. 5 after being listed since May at $488,888, according to listing agents Freda J. Young and Wade A. Park of Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties.
The home sits at the base of the Waiahola Forest Reserve on a 13,500-square-foot lot with ocean views beyond Swanzy Beach Park.
The main house has one bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms, a loft and a den. The master suite is separated by a wrap around deck. The garden is illuminated and filled with tropical flora.
The actor, who graduated from Pearl City High School, moved to the Big Island about two years ago after he purchased a home on 25 acres in Volcano Village.
More than100 people have looked at the Kaaawa home since it was listed, according to Young. The pending buyer is a local family.
The home was built in 1964. Lee, who purchased it in late 1992, spent more than $100,000 on renovations, said Young.
The actor is in Romania filming two motion pictures.

COLDWELL BANKER PACIFIC PROPERTIES

[ Friday, October 12, 2001 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

2000-04-24T10:17:00.000+08:00

Keanu Was Always First Choice

Just days before he steps on stage in London to recreate the lead role in The King and I made famous by Yul Brynner, Jason Scott Lee took the opportunity to scotch once and for all the rumours that he had been the Wachowski Brothers' original choice for The Matrix. Speaking to London newspaper The Evening Standard, Lee says, 'Rumour had it I was auditioned for The Matrix. I never was. What happened was that when the fight choreographers were brought in, the film-makers asked: "Can you make Keanu look like Jason Scott Lee?" And they said: "Why don't you get Jason?" The producers replied that I had been offered the part and turned it down. It was not true...It was just Hollywood economics. Keanu would sell the picture. I could not.'

[ 25/04/2000 ]

1999-08-06T09:46:00.000+08:00

Kenji Matsuda and Erin Chang strum along with Jason Scott Lee. Photo by George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin

Actor Lee tries to stay
in 'Tune'

He gamely plays the guitar
and the straight man for a TV show

By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

Celebrities beware if recent Castle High School graduate Erin Chang is hosting a show in which you are the guest.

Along with Kalani High grad Kenji Matsuda, Chang co-hosts "Eazy Tunes" - a tall-story type program for teen-agers who want to learn the basics of guitar playing.

When Erin, 18, interviewed Keli'i Kaneali'i, of Hapa, she asked if he would wear a red dress and sing "Lady in Red" to her. He sang the song but declined the wardrobe suggestion.

When members of the University of Hawaii women's basketball team appeared on a cooking show Erin hosted, "Eazy Grinds," she asked their shoe sizes and if it was difficult to find shoes that fit.

"All my life I've asked lots of questions and on the show I get pretty wound up," Erin said prior to the taping of the show with actor Jason Scott Lee.

"No, you've never been quiet," Kenji , 17, joked to his partner.

"For this show I'm going to give Jason my autograph," Erin jumped in.

"See what I mean," Kenji said.

"Eazy Tunes" - the brain child of the DOE's Instructional Television director-producer Ann Marie Kirk - was created to attract teen-agers who want to play the guitar with simple instructions by popular local musicians. The six 30-minute shows were filmed in a week last month.

In the program with Lee, Erin plans to teach him - since he's a beginner - while she also sings. That was the plan until after a few unsuccessful attempts at getting Lee to play, the co-hosts began interviewing Lee about things unrelated to frets and chords.

The shows are taped 30 minutes straight without editing, or "stopping down" as it's called so mistakes, miscues, giggles and pauses are all there.

"That's why I keep talking," Erin says. "It's tough when a guest isn't very talkative. So me and Kenji throw jokes at each other.

"Performers are a lot easier to work with than athletes because (entertainers) like to ham it up."

Lee is no ham but he does like to have fun. Before he arrives Erin says "no way" is she nervous about meeting him but on the back of her guitar she's taped a piece of paper with "seven sample questions."

"So Jason," Erin says with a smile during the show's introduction, "how about showing us one of those big scenes from your Bruce Lee film."

"Sure," Lee answers. "You mean a love scene?"

Lee and Kenji laugh; Erin giggles and blushes.

Now Erin tries to get serious. She tries to get Lee to strum a few chords and sing but he refuses.

"I'll sing this at your wedding," Erin says as she sings the words to "Let It Be Me."

"I'm sooo confused," Lee says as he tries to follow Erin's lead.

"So what's your musical background?" Kenji asks.

"I sing in the shower," Lee jokes. "Really, very limited."

Erin then asks advice on how aspiring actors can break into the movies, what Lee's hobbies are and his favorite film location.

"Follow your dreams," Lee suggests. "I like surfing; I'm learning how to free dive; loved the Arctic because of the unique landscape."

"When you do a love scene do you ever fall for the girl?" Erin says.

"Haven't yet," Lee says.

"Have there been any who are Chinese-Irish? (like Erin)," she asks, smiling.

"Uh, no there haven't been," Lee says.

Earlier Erin says that when she watches herself on tape she realizes that she "always" embarrasses herself.

"I just say things out of the blue ...You know I get a different reaction every time I do something weird. I throw out things people don't expect."

When Na Leo Pilimehana member Lehua Kalima told her the group was going to be marketing signature towels, Erin asked how they felt about people wiping their bodies on their names.

"Tell him the rest," Kenji urges.

"Well, uh, I asked if there was going to be Na Leo Pilimehana toilet paper? Then people would say 'I wiped with Na Leo!'"

Kenji likes the relaxed style of local news anchor Joe Moore and the intensity of ESPN's SportsCenter team.

Erin says she mimics no one.

"I just do my my own thing I guess," she says.

Tune in

What: "Eazy Tunes"
When: Channel 25 on Oahu; Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m., Oct. 16 through Dec. 18; series will be broadcast twice
Guests: Oct. 16, Uncle Harry Koizumi; Oct. 23, Lehua Kalima of Na Leo Pilimehana; Oct. 30, Kelly Boy Delima of Kapena; Nov. 6, Keli'i Kaneali'i of Hapa; Nov. 20, Jason Scott Lee

[August 6th, 98 Honolulu Star-Bulletin ]

1999-01-30T10:00:00.000+08:00

Rebirth of the Dragon

It's been nearly ten years since Jason Scott Lee made martial arts history by portraying the ¡§Little Dragon¡¨. Lee talks about how the movie changed his life forever.

1993. What an incredible year it was in the life and times of everything Bruce Lee. He posthumously received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His only son died of an accidental gunshot would on the set of the Crow. His only daugher made her first official public appearance. His wife dealt with the highs of her late husband's long awaited notoriety and lows of losing her eldest child. His hopes and dreams, in the form of letters and personal affects, were auctioned off at Superior Galleries. And Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story premiered at Mann's Chinese theater, nearly 20 years after Enter the Dragon, considered the greatest and most-influential martial arts film of all time, introduced the "Little Dragon" and his immense talents to a worldwide audience. Entrusted with the legacy of Bruce Lee was relative unkniown Jason Scott Lee, who had unenviable task of portraying a legend who was ahead of his time even two decades after his time has passed. Despite intial misgivings, some so unnerving he actually considered giving up the part, Lee consumed the character ?even when it almost consumed him in the process. The performance he delivered satisfied Bruce's millions of existing fans and created a whole new generation of followers. With the ten-year anniversary of Dragon's premier just around the corner, we thought we'd take a look back at one of the perople who made it happen. -Ed.

Inside Kung Fu: How did you feel when they offered you the part of Bruce Lee in Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story?
Jason Scott Lee: Back then I was just starting out on my career and I was very open and accepting to whatever came along. I also felt that as a young actor I had a lot to offer. At the same time, I wasnŽt sure if I could fulfill the obligations of this part. I just felt here was a great opportunity, but I could really mess it up, actually my career in this field if I became somewhat unaccepted.

IKF: How did you finally fell comfortable in the role?
JSL: I began to feel comfortable when (Bruce Lee first-generation student) Jerry Poteet came in and trained me in the actual exercises and drills Bruce used to get to where he was and how he looked. Identifying with the drills and exercises allowed me to embody his work and attitude. That was essentially the ingredient that triggered the whole character. The precision he gave to Jerry was the exact same coaching Jerry was trying to instill in me. Without that, I would have come nowhere near the understanding I need to play Bruce Lee.

IKF: Did you know anything about Bruce before taking the role?
JSL: Not that much, only that I had a t-shirt with his picture on it and a poster of him in my room. Other than that, we played with nunchucks and kiaed on the street. He was really a childhood icon. Aside from that, I didn't really follow him.

IKF: Did your impression change as you learned more about him?
JSL: I think back then, and even now, Bruce had much more ddrive than I have, more than what I could even offer to the role. I had to sort of balance it out more and spread out the emotional aspects. I donŽt think I could actually play the man.

IKF: Did you develop a deeper appreciation for his talents the more you got intot the character?
JSL: I developed an incredible appreciation for him. He had this kind of forward way of thiking, of breaking down the barriers of stereotypes. He was a free-spirited individual who didn't accept things as they were. He saw loopholes and flaws in life. He really delved into that to find the truth of the matter. That says so mujch about the spirit of the man.

IKF: Playing a fictional character is one thing. But playing someone larger than life must be a daunting task for any actor.
JSL: At the beginning it was a very difficult time for me from a training mode. It started closing in on me. My early training actually didn't harmonize with the task at hand. That conflict in itself forced me into a depression, almost an emotional breakdown, I felt the pressure of wanting to do it, but not having the mechanics at the time to see it through. I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel and the end of the tunnel was coming up fast.

IKF: When did it all turn around for you?
JSL: It began to open up only after I met Jerry. ThatŒE when I felt we were moving in the right direction and something good would come of it. You pray you're going to do well but at the same time I knew there was still in opening for me to say, "No" Actually, saying "No" was hihgly on my list, as the top one. I was sort of cowering in the corner.

IKF: What kept you going?
JSL: It was the direction Jerry took me in. I came to him with a completely empty cup and a blank slate and that was where he allowed his experience and knowledge to fill me up. After a while I got into it and a couple of months later after working on a daily basis it was apparent this was feeling really close to what I used to watch on screen. When I was training I began to feel good, a lightness of being a feeling of sensibility.

IKF: Was there any point when you could tell the movie was coming together?
JSL: Each day I wasn't really sure how the outcome was going to be, especially when it came to the fight scenes because I had never really done any choreography. I think I was put into a no-win situation, looing at it from the outside in. It all has to do with timing with the other person. But it also has to do with the little nuances. I tried to bring as much of the naturalness and persona to him as possible.

IKF: Do you consider ?ragon?to be your signiture film?
JSL: Not really. Usually just taking the experience of going through it was enough for me. I felt good with my performance but I didn't expect a great deal of success out of it. Large or small the reward was already there. (The movie) was such a fantastic experience that whatever came of it was just fine ?the fact that it holds up as being something people go back to watch and get delight out of it is great. I'm glad we were able to establish something like that.

IKF: Do people recognize you on the street?
JSL: They may see me at the airport and say, "Hey Bruce" or "Hey Brandon" A lot of them know Bruce passed away but they still think his son is walking around. I just tell them, "No, no, I'm not Brandon". The fans are fantastic, very enthusiastic and very positive; they realled liked the film we put together.

IKF: Your next project after Dragon was Rapa Nui, a story about the history of Easter Island. It was a complete departure from the martial arts/action genre.
JSL: I wasn't necessarily looking to do action. Over the years I have been offered a lot of action roles and martial arts parts. And after doing Dragon, which featured a role that had a lot of different levels, it was very difficult to find something that wasn't a formula movie. I passed on so many movies because they seemed redundant. With Rapa Nui, I had an interest in my Polynesian ancestry and this was a way to investigate that as well as fill an action passion. I got to use a little combat in that film but it was mostly for my own self-interest.

IKF: Now, there was action in the film Soldier.
JSL: I made an attempt to apply some of what I learned in Soldeier. Fran Josephy (senior JKD instructor) and Jerry did some things in the film, but our hands were tied. The outcome wasn't as good as the introduction.

IKF: The biggest departure was your character Mowgli in The Jungle Book.
JSL: That (part) was for me. I had an interest in acting with animals and watned to see if I could work with live wild animals. It was complete departure from martial arts as a whole.

IKF: During this time, were you studying martial arts?
JSL: No not at all. Maybe a couple of years went by after Dragon before I began thinking about it again. What brought me back to training with Jerry was that I was offered a part on the life of Buddha. I began reading a lot about the Dharma and for about a year I was profoundly interested spiritually and intellectually in Taoism. Much of what I was reading was the same stuff in Bruce LeeŒE Tao of Jeet Kune Do. There are plenty of references in BruceŒE Tao to the philosophy and psychology of Budhism. I found a kinship there and when I began asking Jerry about the parallels it got me back into training, but at a different level. This time it was much more about sensitivity and energy and thatŒE when my energy training began as well as the work with chi sao and trapping drills. Dragon was more physically oriented; not really about the polar opposites or mastery over energy.

IFK: Looking back after ten years away from Dragon, what are your recollections?
JSL: Playing Bruce Lee was the greatest thing that could happened to me in my career. Not so much for what I learned about martial arts, but for all the other stuff, such as the flexibility, the sensibility, the awareness and the economy of motion. What I learned in martial arts is so pivitol to what I can use as an actor on stage or screen. It allows you to have a freedom and a confidence in movement. It affects your performance so much that itŒE going to ultimately affect your career.

IKF: Can you objectively critique your performance in Dragon?
JSL: I saw the movie for the first time while I was doing press in Los Angeles. When I looked at it objectively I picked out the misses and hits and everything about the choreogratphy. But at the end of the movie I felt exhiliaration, wow fantastic. That allowed me to have a great faith in what I could do. It was like great mountains were traversed; for sure great mountains of insecurity. ☼

Inside Kung Fu October 2002
Pages 38-43

1999-01-30T09:55:00.000+08:00

JASON SCOTT LEE - DOING THAT BRUCE THING: HOW A LAID-BACK KID FROM OAHU CAME TO PLAY THE FLINTY BRUCE
by Kent Black

Jason Scott Lee

Jason Scott Lee has just flown in from Easter Island, and he's brought a little of Polynesia with him. Barefoot and dressed in a traditional island sarong, the young Chinese-Hawaiian actor demonstrates with a few deft movements of his arms, shoulders and hips variations on the hula that he has learned while filming Kevin Costner's Rapa Nui.
"The Hawaiian movement and beat are slower," he says. "On Easter Island, it's faster, like Tahiti, but more fluid. " And as he dances across the meticulous Nikko hotel suite with a hand-carved idol hanging from his neck, it is not difficult to see him in the role of a Polynesian Prince.
What is difficult is to imagine how this gentle, laid-back kid from Oahu could possibly re-create the greatest legend in martial arts, Bruce Lee, in Dragon! The Bruce Lee Story. According to many martial arts experts, Lee's own brand of kung fu, called Jeet Kune Do, has never been successfully emulated; so how could this hula dancer with so little training hope to portray a man who was himself an actor, a student of philosophy and a filmmaker still revered internationally 20 years after his death.
Sitting back on the couch, he pulls back his long black hair. "This is a difficult situation," he says, deliberately. "Trying to show people who you are, what you can do. The camera crews come in here and they say, 'Hey, man, do that Bruce thing.' "
Suddenly, he does it. It is in a flash of hands, wrists and elbows, a snap of his head. There is something quite remarkable in his eyes. They are the alert, mocking, intelligent and dangerous eyes of Bruce Lee.
Dave Cater, the editor of Inside Kung-Fu magazine, says, "Like many in the martial arts community, I was extremely tentative when I heard Hollywood was making a film based on [Bruce Lee's widow] Linda Emery's biography." After all, since Lee's death, more than 50 Lee film biographies have come out of Hong Kong and Asia - and this doesn't count exploitation films such as The Black Dragon Revenges the Death of Bruce Lee. And Hollywood's last fling with martial arts, Big Trouble in Little China, was roundly dismissed by the martial arts community as "hokey."
"I went down to Loyola Marymount University to interview Jason," recalls Cater. "And after talking to him awhile I just couldn't see it. He's too tall, he doesn't look like Bruce. I just didn't know how they could pull it off. Then they called him to the set for a scene. He went instantly into character. Suddenly there was Bruce Lee's power and charisma. It gave me chills."
Dragon director Rob Cohen remembers also being initially skeptical about the casting director's choice. "But then you see the eyes. You have no idea what's going on back there. You know he's holding back something, waiting for just the moment when it's needed. It's something all great actors possess. I knew within a few minutes of meeting him. We had our Bruce Lee."
Jason Scott Lee grew up in different small towns on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, the third of five children whose parents are a mix of Hawaiian and Chinese. "I suppose my bloodline runs more to Chinese," he says, "but I consider myself culturally Hawaiian." Neither of his working-class parents encouraged him to pursue an artistic career and he, in fact, spent most of his youth finding ways of ditching school whenever the surf was up.
"I never thought about education when I was younger," he says, "but, luckily, I learned from nature. I spent a lot of time watching the waves and the birds and the fish and saw how they interacted with the world. In surfing, your whole objective in catching a wave is to find the pocket, that groove where you encounter the least resistance. This is something I've applied to everything I've ever done, whether it is acting, art or martial arts. When you're in the pocket, everything flows."
Lee realized that he couldn't stay out on the waves forever and decided he would have to look elsewhere for his education. "I started junior college in Hawaii, but I would always let my friends drag me off to go surfing." He visited some family friends in Orange County, Calif., and began attending a local community college. Though the only stage experience he'd had was dancing the hula at a high school talent show, he decided on a whim to check on acting class.
Here he met acting coach Sal Romeo, who introduced Lee to the theories of Strasberg and Stanislavsky. "It is rare to see someone as natural as he is," says Romeo. "Out of two hundred students, you might see one like Jason, who has the vulnerability, the intelligence, the concern, the magnetism and the discipline."
Lee followed Romeo to Los Angeles, where they and other actors built a 45-seat theater called Friends and Artists. While taking class from Romeo and getting occasional bit parts in plays, the 20-year-old Lee took jobs ranging from busboy, house cleaner, gardener, delivery boy, waiter ... "You name it," he laughs. "I was pulling everything out of the hat just to get by while I studied. I wasn't even sure I wanted a career as an actor. I was just so totally enraptured by thinking about the process of acting, capturing moments and connecting the dots."

Following bit roles in Born in East L.A. and Back to the Future II, Lee landed his first lead in an after-school special, American Eyes, in which he plays a Korean-American boy in search of an identity. This led to the recently released Map of the Human Heart by New Zealand director Vincent Ward. In this film, Lee plays 30 years in the life of an Eskimo named Avik, who is plucked from his remote village in the Canadian Arctic by a pilot (Patrick Bergin).

"Avik has the wonderment of a child. He is naive, but he also has this awareness and perspective which comes from being so close to nature," says Lee. "His tragedy is that he follows his heart and becomes separated from his home, so that when he goes back there he no longer fits in ... but he cannot fit in to the western world either."

For Lee, who has always found himself at odds with the bustle and confusion of cities, Avik's struggle provided a personal lesson. "I feel such a strong connection with nature that when I am away from it, I feel lost. I think that's what happened to Avik. Once he got out of the groove, the flow with nature, he was doomed."

To forestall his own doom, Lee last year moved back to Hawaii, where he feels once again "in the pocket."

It was also last year his agent sent him to meet Rob Cohen, who was looking for someone to portray the legendary Bruce Lee. Lee resisted. "When I was growing up, Bruce Lee was really popular. My dad took me to see all his movies and I had Bruce Lee posters and T-shirts. My friends and I would even cut up broom handles to make ninchuks to fool around with. But I had never studied martial arts. I didn't even know how to throw a punch. I felt it was wrong, like getting a non-dancer to play the life of Nureyev."

Cohen talked him into giving it a try. They decided to put Lee through martial arts training and see how he did. At the same time, onetime Bruce Lee disciple Jerry Poteet had heard that Linda Emery Lee's book on her husband was going to be filmed, "so I called her up and asked who was going to play Bruce. She put me in touch with the studio and they sent over Jason."

A wiry, graying man who can demonstrate Lee's unique system of Jeet Kune Do (Way of Intercepting Fist) with frightening speed, Poteet was impressed with Lee's will and physical conditioning. "He told me he didn't want to learn Jeet Kune Do just so he could look like Bruce, he wanted to learn how to fight. I told him that was good, because it was the only way I would teach him."

Lee knew that to get inside someone like Bruce Lee he would have to understand him physically and emotionally. "What helped me get into his mind was that he was always working with contact. A lot of martial artists train by kicking and hitting air, but Bruce implied that the best application of his art came from making contact. It's then you get to experience his body language, not just his facial expressions. When you have the reality of a hit, then the imagination has something to lock into and you get the explosion, the twitch that was Bruce Lee."

Lee and Poteet worked together every day, sometimes 10 to 12 hours a day, for four months. "The first day I worked with Jerry he showed me a simple energy exercise Bruce had devised. It was just a quick movement, a pull and hit, but the power was incredible. I was immediately hooked," recalls Lee. "But not all the training was physical. I would show up in the morning and we would sometimes sit for hours over tea discussing the 'tao' of Jeet Kune Do. When people say they see in my performance the mannerisms and charisma of Bruce, they are really seeing the tao of Jeet Kune Do."

When Universal saw the test footage of Jason Scott Lee after his training, "they immediately gave the film the green light," says Cohen, who himself became a Bruce Lee devotee after attending the premiere of Enter the Dragon at Grauman's Chinese Theater in 1973. However, despite endorsements from Linda Emery Lee and members of the martial arts community, there were a few rough spots. According to Lauren Holly, who plays Linda Emery, "When we were in Hong Kong filming the scene where Bruce is cheered by the audience who come to see The Big Boss, there were a lot of guys watching the scene who wanted to get a piece of Jason." Though Lee plays down the incident, he admits there was some resentment because he is "mixed race, not from Hong Kong and a non-Cantonese speaker." The situation so deteriorated that at one point Jerry Poteet, acting as fight choreographer, had to step in and dispatch a couple of the more aggressive would-be duelists.

Another rough spot concerned John Cheung, fight coordinator and the actor who plays Lee's nemesis. Because his style of fighting and Poteet's (and, therefore, Jason's) interpretation of Jeet Kune Do differed so greatly, they were often at odds in staging the fight sequences. In one of the early scenes, in which Lee must defeat Cheung for the right to teach, Poteet recalls that Cheung took an open stance toward Lee. "Jason looked at me, asking with his eyes if he should really hit him," Poteet says. "I told him he had no choice. Jason hit him three or four times before John knew what happened. He couldn't believe it. John insisted on doing it again. If Jason was going to play it truthfully, he had to play it out. So he hit him another half dozen times. As a result, most of that blood you see in Cheung's mouth during the fight is real."

Though Lee says learning Jeet Kune Do was exciting, and he continues to train whenever he has time off from Rapa Nui, he'd consider taking on another martial arts role only "as long as it didn't involve any firearms." Though he wanted his Jeet Kune Do to be convincing, he maintains that his strongest connection was to the philosophic, humanitarian side of Bruce Lee. "Here was a man who was one of the great teachers ever to walk the Earth," he says without irony. "What he taught transcended martial arts. He was not as concerned with defeating opponents as much as overcoming his own psychological and emotional barriers. His goal was to tap into the universal energy."

Lee says he feels very fortunate that his three big film roles in Map of the Human Heart, Dragon and, now, Rapa Nui are concerned with the character's spiritual quests - journeys, he feels, that parallel his own.

"In Rapa Nui, the character sees his society in conflict because they are destroying their natural resources," says Lee. "His goal is to help his people get back in tune with nature ..."

Back in the pocket?

"Yeah," laughs Lee, "back in the pocket."

© 1993, Newsday Inc.

1999-01-30T09:53:00.000+08:00

The Mystery. The Life. The Love. The Legend.
Linda Emery: "A philosophy major? Now, what can you do with a philosophy major?"
Bruce Lee: "You can think deep thoughts about being unemployed."
I am a fan of Jason Scott Lee, and it is a pleasure to see him as Bruce Lee, with Lauren Holly playing Linda. Never mind that Jason is much bigger than the historical Bruce! The film itself is quite gorgeously shot, with high production values which will certainly help it last. However, in the great tradition of Hollywood biopics it plays fast and loose with the facts: Bruce never broke his back - that is the most glaring liberty taken with the life of the real Bruce in the film. They also get the dates wrong ... how that serves Hollywood's romanticisation of Bruce I can't quite figure out. The broad strokes of Bruce's life are there however.
It seems that the role of Bruce was offered to Brandon Lee, but he never considered doing it. Instead he went on to The Crow, dying three days before the end of filming after being fatally wounded on its set. There is a dream sequence in Dragon in which Bruce battles a demon for his life and the life of his young son. It takes on eerie shades of meaning in the light of Brandon's death.
Bruce Lee was larger than life, there is no need to embellish his story for the big screen. Someone should have explained that to the producers and director Rob Cohen. The film is supposedly based on Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew by Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce's widow. I heard that since someone other than Linda Lee owns the rights to the book they could take any liberties they wanted with it. That would explain the many inaccuracies. Naturally no mention of the fact that Brandon was conceived out of wedlock either *grin*.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the film tremendously, and I think that it may serve to introduce Bruce to a new generation, or at least remind people of his many accomplishments and lasting influence. It made my interest in Bruce flare up again, for keeps this time! If you saw the film, do yourself a favour and read some of the books listed on this site, to get to know the real Bruce Lee. The film doesn't do him justice. (It would be wonderful if some independent filmmaker one day created a fitting tribute to one of the most famous personages of the twentieth century, warts and all.)
By the way, through the years the BBC has been notorious for ruthlessly cutting scenes containing nunchaku. It seems that they let the video of this film through without cuts, and effected small cuts to the DVD release.
Anyone interested in seeing more of the remarkable Jason Scott Lee should watch Map of the Human Heart and The Jungle Book. He also appeared in Soldier and Rapa Nui.

Source: here

1999-01-30T09:49:00.000+08:00

TEARS OF THE DRAGON
BRANDON LEE'S DEATH TURNS A FILM ABOUT HIS FATHER INTO A POIGNANT DOUBLE MEMORIAL by Tim Appelo When Bruce Lee died three weeks before the premiere of his 1973 martial-arts classic, Enter the Dragon, one Hollywood producer enthused, "His death was like a $2 million publicity campaign!" Such tasteless ghoulishness can repeat itself. When Lee's 28-year-old son, Brandon, was killed in an accidental shooting on the set of The Crow just a month before the premiere of Universal's Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, a rival studio marketing executive said, "I'd kill for a break like that." But Dragon's cowriter-director Rob Cohen did not feel fortunate. After four years spent working with Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce Lee's widow and Brandon's mother, to film the biography of the action-film legend, he felt devastated. "This thing with Brandon- it would have completely destroyed me, but she has this strength. I love Linda," says Cohen.
Although the director says Cadwell had no veto power over Dragon's marketing or release, he says he called her soon after Brandon died and placed the film's fate in her hands. Universal had been holding test screenings of Dragon, which stars newcomer Jason Scott Lee (no relation) and Lauren Holly of Picket Fences, since February, but Cohen says he was willing to risk the studio's wrath if Cadwell wanted him to alter the film or delay its May 7 release. "I asked her, 'Do you want me to cancel the premiere (or) get Universal to change the movie? I'll do my best,'" says Cohen. Cadwell, who had just buried her son next to his father in their hometown of Seattle, asked for a day or two to think it over. "It's all so horribly fresh," she told him. Cohen gave her time, still assuming that she might want to cancel not only the premiere but also her promotional appearances, including the dedication of Bruce Lee's posthumous star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame.
Instead, Cadwell asked that the release of Dragon go forward as planned, with the now-painful scenes of Brandon as a baby kept intact throughout the film. She requested only one change: an end title dedicating Dragon to Brandon Bruce Lee, with an appropriate quote. Recalls Cohen, "I said, 'How about the Saint Augustine quote I had on the frontispiece of the original script: "The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering." It applies to Brandon as much as it does to Bruce.' She said, 'Oh, that's perfect.'" Actually, Dragon was lucky to get made at all. Back in August 1991, Universal took a look at an early script, based on Cadwell's 1975 book about her husband, Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew, but the studio eventually rejected its strange mix of martial-arts action and woman's-eye-view romance.
When Cohen later sold another screenplay to Universal, MCA Motion Picture Group chairman Thomas Pollock and vice president of production Nina Jacobson suggested he take a crack at rewriting Dragon. The project then came alive, but a problem-plagued shoot in Hong Kong and Macao last year almost sank the $13.7 million movie. Even before cameras rolled, there were setbacks: Cohen had a heart attack on Feb. 6, 1992, and filming was delayed for one month while the then-43-year- old director recuperated. "Rob was a changed man afterward," says Jacobson. "He cut his cholesterol in half (and) became a die-hard vegetarian." But other woes followed. Like Brandon Lee's The Crow, Dragon lost time and money to storms. Monsoons and mishaps cost Cohen his entire $1.3 million contingency fund (a safety cushion for such emergencies), swelling the budget to $15 million. Cohen then had to face the fearsome Completion Bond Company, which monitors films' expenditures and can assume control of productions that go over budget. "They set a date for pulling the plug," he says. "They wanted Dragon done and their money back ASAP." Cohen edited Dragon in six weeks, four fewer than the directors' union minimum. When Universal saw the first cut, the studio repaid the bondsmen and ponied up $1 million more for Dragon's Dolby digital fight-scene sound effects, as well as a lush symphonic score by Randy Edelman. The investment in a romantic soundtrack was appropriate. Dragon's love story between Linda and Bruce Lee, with its exploration of interracial love between a Caucasian and an Asian, is even more central to Dragon than its eight fight scenes are. All along, the filmmakers made a conscious attempt to create a movie that would appeal to both men and women.
"Ordinarily, action is skewed to men," says Jacobson, a veteran of Joel Silver's action-movie company. "You figure, well, maybe a few of them will drag their dates to see it." But Cohen deliberately infused Dragon with scenes of courtship and longing. "I think those moments really mean something for women," he says. "And this is not a difficult guy to watch with his shirt off." Despite the stunning blow of Brandon Lee's death, Cohen and Universal maintain that no eleventh-hour changes were made in Dragon's advertising campaign. "Brandon's death was never part of the marketing," insists Cohen. Even the decision to change the poster to emphasize the love story, he says, was made before Brandon's death. "If it were a chopsocky picture, you could just use a poster with Jason Scott Lee jumping across the sun," says Cohen.
"But I asked them to ghost in an image of Bruce kissing Linda above that." Inevitably, the sad, unsought publicity surrounding Brandon Lee's death has put Dragon in the spotlight, and given its climactic scene, a dream sequence in which Bruce Lee saves his young son from a demonic apparition, an emotional force it would otherwise lack. Ironically, the sequence was one of those that could have fallen victim to the belt-tightening when Dragon ran over budget; now Cohen is especially glad he was able to film it. "It was always a touching scene," the director says. "Now it's touching and chilling."

Entertainment Weekly Copyright 1993 Time Inc.

Jason Scott Lee Newspage

Black-box theater isup close, personal

Jason Scott Lee’s intimatetheater can offer audiencesan emotional experience

'Burn This'

The cast

Hollywood Drop Out

Jason Scott Lee forsakes theglamour life for a rain-forest homeon the Big Island with no power,water or flush toilet

On the Scene

Knox and Gellatly dance to the rescue of ballet fan

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Jason Scott Lee: Interview

'Five-0' deal nearly in place

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Oh no, Joe, the dirty laundry of it all

1970: Irish politicians can't get any respect in Hawaii

Impressionists headed for Academy of Arts

Names in the news

Incommunicado

Actress plans luau for 12th birthday

Carrere, Lee lend voices to make Disney history

The city girl and country boy share an island soul

An animated film set in Hawaii debuts amid glitz and glamour

» Carrere, Lee lend voices to make Disney history » Kamehameha chorus has fun 'Lilo' debut » Actress plans luau for 12th birthday

Kamehameha chorus has fun ‘Lilo’ debut

"The Silk Curtain," written by Kahala resident Consulina Wong, follows the Empress Tzu Hsi

Fresh off a vampire film, Jason Scott Lee reflects on the hollowness of Hollywood

Actor Lee’s Oahu home sells

He gamely plays the guitar and the straight man for a TV show

Tune in

TEARS OF THE DRAGON

Black-box theater is
up close, personal

Jason Scott Lee’s intimate
theater can offer audiences
an emotional experience

Jason Scott Lee forsakes the
glamour life for a rain-forest home
on the Big Island with no power,
water or flush toilet

Actress plans luau
for 12th birthday

Carrere, Lee lend voices
to make Disney history

An animated film set in Hawaii
debuts amid glitz and glamour

» Carrere, Lee lend voices to make Disney history
» Kamehameha chorus has fun 'Lilo' debut
» Actress plans luau for 12th birthday

Kamehameha chorus
has fun ‘Lilo’ debut

"The Silk Curtain," written by
Kahala resident Consulina Wong,
follows the Empress Tzu Hsi

Fresh off a vampire film,
Jason Scott Lee reflects on
the hollowness of Hollywood

Actor Lee’s
Oahu home sells

He gamely plays the guitar
and the straight man for a TV show