'Ong-Bak' star Jaa polite, humble
By BRUCE KIRKLAND -- Toronto Sun

February 2005
Source : jam.canoe.ca

 

Women love him for his wholesome face, humble demeanor and chiselled, athletic body. Men envy and admire him.

Martial arts fans are agog over his spectacular moves.

"I am so proud," Tony Jaa says quietly through a Thai interpreter in a Sun interview in Los Angeles.

He is visiting the U.S. to launch the North American release of Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, his debut film as a leading man.

"I never thought I would come so far, but, to be able to be here and to share Thai culture and Thai tradition through the film for other people to see, makes me really proud!"

Jaa, who turned 29 on Feb. 5, is best known to insiders as a stuntman who doubled for other actors in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

The beautifully-trained Thai kickboxer is suddenly an international martial arts star himself.

Jaa, or Phanom Yeerum as he was known before simplifying his name for the screen, was born in Surin, in Isan Province in the rural, north-eastern sector of Thailand.

He saw the phenomenal local success of Ong-Bak turn him into a homegrown star.

That then launched the film worldwide.

He is now shooting a follow-up film for the same director, veteran Thai filmmaker Prachya Pinkaew.

Jaa lists his inspirations as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and his own Thai master, Panna Rittikrai, who started training him as a youngster of 15.

After six years, Panna persuaded Jaa to attend the University of Mahamarakam for its specialty, sports sciences.

Disciplines included krabi krabong (the roots of the Muay Thai technique, which is what Jaa does in the movie) as well as taekwondo, judo, aikido and gymnastics.

Jaa was a star pupil.

It was Panna who suggested to the Ong-Bak filmmaker that Muay Thai be used in the project -- to introduce a fresh but ancient discipline to the screen.

Jaa was enthusiastic.

"One thing that I intended to do with Muay Thai was to pass down the traditions of the ancestors -- the culture -- through the sport and through the film," Jaa says.

"But it was just for the Thai people to see and I never thought it would be so big internationally."

Like Jackie Chan in his Hong Kong and American movies, Jaa also does all his stunts for real. No wires. No photographic tricks. No CGI enhancement.

"As a film lover, I think it is important to show one's real abilities through martial arts, and especially through Muay Thai," Jaa says. "It is important to see that those moves are being done for real. So that was the most important part."

Jaa enjoys Chinese films such as Hero, House Of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. "I like watching those films but, as an actor, I want to present something different from that style."

Even with his unique style, at least on film, Jaa has generated comparisons to legends such as Lee, Chan and Li, as well as stars such as Donnie Yen. "I am not embarrassed to be compared to them," Jaa says, "but I would not say that 'I am the next Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan or Jet Li!' because those people are my mentors and I respect them like my own master, Panna. Yet all of us have had the intention of bringing the martial arts forward for people to see through film."

Even through an interpreter -- although Jaa is learning English, slowly -- it is easy to feel his sincerity, his humility. So it is no surprise to hear him talk about his future, without ego or arrogance.

"I definitely want to continue learning English just to be able to communicate with everybody around the world," Jaa says, recognizing that the language of the international film community is English.

"But, in terms of making films internationally, I would still rather develop my roots in Thailand, because I still have so many other plans, things I want to work on in Thailand.

"With each film that I create, I want to make a quality film and make sure that, in each, there is a philosophy involved and teachings that people can take out of it. Definitely, I want the Thai film market to become bigger and to demonstrate those things that are Thai -- our traditions -- for all the world to see."

A big fan of Jackie Chan

At 29, Tony Jaa has a lot of years left to catch up to the longevity of Jackie Chan in the martial arts movie game.

"You have to thank him for still making movies for us to watch," Jaa says of his 50-year-old hero Chan, "because he has a love of film that keeps him going. In terms of when it will end for me, I don't think of that yet because I have to do my best today and it will make tomorrow better!"

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