INTERVIEW: TONY JAA

02.09.05
By Fred Topel
Chmud.com

 

So, a lot of folks have seen Ong-Bak already, but since it's opening in American theaters under the title Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior , we got to interview Tony Jaa. Jaa was so upset about the removal of Muay in the title that the publicists had to keep all PR materials away from him and his stunt team. Marketing

Before the interview, Jaa gave a martial arts demonstration with his stunt team. His amazing physical fetes included complete jump flips from a standing position, kicking objects out of hands held high in the air threatening to go through the ceiling. He actually had to cancel one stunt because the ceiling was too low. That's right, Tony Jaa can jump higher than your standard hotel room ceiling.

Note, this was way back at the AFI Film Festival in December, so the Drunken Master project had not been announced yet. But remember this first interview, because when he gets super huge, we may not have this kind of access to Tony Jaa again. Also note, this interview was conducted through a translator who referred to his comments in third person, but I've edited it back to first person so it sounds like we're actually talking to each other.

Q: When did you start doing martial arts?

Tony: Since I was 10, from watching films and practicing on my own. I watched Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li films, and my master used to be an actor and a director. I learned from the sets of the movies of my master and I would work on the sets, everything from being a waterboy. Then I went on to study at a physical education university where they taught every type of martial arts and sports.

Q: Why did you choose Muay Thai as your style?

Tony: Because Muay Thai hasn't been used in any films that we've seen and I wanted to bring that Muay Thai to films for people to know it and as a Thai person, that's important.

Q: What distinguishes the different types of martial arts? How many different ways can you throw a punch or kick?

Tony: It's different in the way they present the martial arts, but all martial arts have the same basis of being part of nature and the way they present themselves and the way they name the different types of moves. Like Muay Thai, we put an emphasis on the knees and the elbows, whereas Wushu, they name their moves after animals.

Q: So pulling your legs back and landing on your knees, that's unique to Muay Thai?

Tony: The main part of Muay Thai is using the knees and the elbows. And the culture and the heritage that goes into Muay Thai is different from other martial arts.

Q: What is your training routine now?

Tony: 8 hours a day.

Q: That's a full time job.

Tony: Yeah. I was born with this thing in mind and want to bring it to the public. I'm happy to do this.

Q: Before you started making movies, how could you afford to spend 8 hours training, not getting paid?

Tony: I've always trained like that.

Q: Did you have other jobs before making movies?

Tony: I worked on the set and was a stuntman prior to this.

Q: What takes eight hours of training?

Tony: I wake up five to six a.m. , run about 10 kilometers, then do a warm-up and go over all the moves of Muay Thai. Then gymnastics for flexibility.

Q: Why do martial artists want so much to get into movies vs. teaching and competition?

Tony: It depends on the person, how they want to present the art. For myself, I love Muay Thai and love any form of martial art. Muay Thai is able to show Thai culture and provide entertainment as well in its clearest form.

Q: Have you ever competed?

Tony: Yes.

Q: How do you feel about being compared to Jet Li and Jackie Chan in the publicity for the film?

Tony: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li are my heroes and my mentors that are in my heart, so it's not comparison.

Q: But the publicists are making the comparison.

Tony: I don't know why they do compare, but I don't feel like I'm worthy to reach up to Bruce Lee's standards because I've watched him since I was a kid.

Q: What is the biggest misperception about martial arts?

Tony: People often think that it's a fierce and competitive sport, but really once you do train, it gives you good qualities of not only being physically strong but it teaches you to be a good person inside.

Q: Do you choreograph your own scenes?

Tony: We work together.

Q: What is your most unique move?

Tony: The incorporation of gymnastics into Muay Thai where I do a backflip and kicks, or making Muay Thai seem prettier.

Q: How long did it take to do the chase scene?

Tony: About a month. It took three takes to do that scene and different camera angles.

Q: Even Jackie Chan uses wires now. Why is it important to do it for real?

Tony: I want to make it seem realistic and for viewers to see that it is possible to do those stunts on your own.

Q: How hard is it to balance on people's heads?

Tony: It's hard. You have to practice until you're used to it.

Q: How does it feel to the people you're standing on?

Tony: They're okay with it.

Q: How do you make sure you don't imitate Jackie Chan with prop work?

Tony: The image of Jackie Chan is already there, and Jackie Chan is my inspiration but sometimes picking up those props and working them into the film just fits in better.

Q: How did you do the feet on fire scene?

Tony: During that scene, my eyelashes got burned and the hairs on my arms got burned. I had to wait for the director to say action and at first, the first take that we did, it wouldn't burn because they didn't have enough oil on. Then they put on more oil and it came up all the way and burned my eyelashes.

Q: Your legs never got burned?

Tony: Oh, they put fire safety gel on so my legs didn't burn.

Q: How do you make each one on one fight scene interesting?

Tony: It depends on the person. I look at the character. A more fierce person, I put more fierce character into it. Or the Japanese guy who does a lot of footwork, we would do more Muay Thai sequences into that.

Q: Is there any pressure to live up to Enter the Dragon's tournament fights?

Tony: No. They're fun.

Q: How hard is it to come up with a story to fit martial arts into?

Tony: It took a lot of time.

Q: What has been the reception around the world to Ong-Bak?

Tony: The feedback has been good.

Q: What is your next film?

Tony: It's called Tom Yum Goong and it has to do with Muay Thai and elephants incorporated with each other and the elephant's influence on Thai culture and Muay Thai's influence on Thai culture.

Q: Are there certain types of martial arts stories you don't want to do because they're too cliché?

Tony: I want to do every type of martial art because I love martial arts.

Q: But the old you killed my master, now I'm going to train to fight you story, has that been done too much?

Tony: Yeah.

Q: Do you want to make American action movies?

Tony: If I have the opportunity, I want to.

Q: Would you be worried that they're less flexible with production schedules?

Tony: We have to talk about it before we start the film or have any ideas on the film.

Q: When will you work out today?

Tony: Performing is like working out.

Q: Who would you most like to fight in a movie?

Tony: Jackie Chan, Jet Li.

Q: Together or one at a time?

Tony: Have them be my master and have me go save them from the forces of evil.

top of the page