This is a first for me. I have written articles about plenty of TV shows and movies that feature Hong Kong film stars, but I have never written about one that I had a part in the making of.

It all started when our illustrious editor & publisher Richard Cooper told me at the very beginning of this year that a production company from Vancouver was going to be making a biography about Jet Li. They just happened to have a film crew working in Toronto that could film me if I was interested in being interviewed about Jet on behalf of Jade Screen Magazine. I thought, “Sounds like fun!” And so, Richard gave me the producer’s e-mail address, which ended in “Pyramid Productions.tv”. I e-mailed the producer and accepted the invitation, giving her my phone number as well. After I sent the e-mail, I Googled the familiar sounding production company name….and my jaw dropped! This was not just some local tv station’s show about Jet. Pyramid Productions makes shows for A&E/Biography! What had I gotten into?

The producer called me shortly after I sent the e-mail and we discussed a date and time. My confidence started to wane and I blurted out, “Honestly, I have never met Jet Li. I actually had to turn down the opportunity…twice! Wouldn’t you rather interview someone like Collin Chou? I’ve interviewed him and he’s made six films with Jet!” She said she did indeed still want to have me on the show, and she asked for Collin’s contact info as well. I promised I’d e-mail her with it after I contacted him first to see if it was something he’d like to do. Happily, Collin was indeed interested in doing the show. He taped his part in L.A. a few days after I did my bit.

So how did it turn out? While it was distracting to see myself keep popping up, I think they did a pretty good job of telling Jet’s life story. It would have been great to hear from more of his friends/co-workers, but from what I understand, there were a few people who could not be reached or had schedule conflicts.

Since this is a tv show, and an attempt to hold the attention of channel surfers is always a good idea at the start of the hour, the show starts with a bit of a teaser. There’s a quick intro and then right after the show is identified as being “Biography” it tells a little about the Tsunami he and his family were caught in. After about three minutes of this, the show starts his actual life story. His childhood is discussed, starting with the loss of his father, his overprotective mother, his days learning wushu and then touring the world with his wushu team.(I told my favorite story for this segment but unfortunately it was cut. In it, the team was given lavish gifts of new clothes and boots by Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos, but the team was forbidden to keep anything of value. But they were allowed to wear them for a day. Jet and his friends were angry that they couldn’t keep the gifts and so they made sure the clothes were roughed up and ruined before they had to give them to the Chinese government. But after they ruined the gifts, the coach announced that as a reward for their hard work he had pulled a few strings so they could keep the gifts! Can you imagine young Jet’s face?!)

There is some wonderful footage that I had never seen before, of Jet on the White House lawn with President Nixon and Henry Kissinger. Then comes his first film, his subsequent career and failed first attempt at getting into the US market. The bio also talks briefly about his first marriage and meeting his current wife, Nina. Then it’s back to his films, signing for Golden Harvest and his success in Once Upon a Time in China. The death of his agent is examined along with his release from his contract with Golden Harvest. Next up, it’s his first role in a US film and then his first lead role in America. The story continues with how Hero became his first Asian made hit in the US. Also examined is Jet’s conflict between his Buddhist beliefs and his more violent characters. Then there’s a look at how the Tsunami gave him new reasons to remain in the spotlight as a way to help others through his One Foundation charity. The show wraps up with a look at his newest films and what the future may hold for him.

Apart from myself and Collin Chou, also interviewed for the show are: Rob Cohen-the director of The Mummy 3, Jim Parish-who wrote a biography on Jet Li, Michael Rechshaffen from The Hollywood Reporter, “the interviewer’s interviewer” Larry Grobel of Playboy and several other publications and last but not least, Russel Wong, Jet’s costar in Romeo Must Die. Oddly enough, Jet was not available for interviews and so the show uses clips from press junkets of Lethal Weapon 4, Cradle 2 Grave, Hero and others. It’s a shame that they could not get a new interview. A similar junket clip from Forbidden Kingdom’s promotion is used to get Jackie Chan’s feelings about working with Jet on that film. Also, to help demonstrate what wushu is, there are a few clips of some kids doing routines for the cameras. There are some great photos and movie stills included in the show and many have gone under the trademark “Bio” treatment of being given a 3-D look with special effects added.

This Biography episode was well researched and told his story well and for the most part, acurately. (apart from one blunder by me where I said Jet’s One Foundation was working in cooperation with the American Red Cross. I should have said International! My only excuse is that I do volunteer with the American Red Cross, and so it’s stuck in my brain that way!) It’s a great introduction to Jet for those who may have seen a few films but don’t really know much about him. For those die-hard fans, it’s still an entertaining show with great clips and photos. The episode is airing on various TV networks worldwide now.

By Lisa Clemens