Eurasie.net Interview
France, December 27, 2005

 

Eurasie : Which Martial Arts have you studied ?
Tony Jaa : At university, I studied Muay Thai boran, krabi krabong, staff, sword, pencak silat and wushu. I love sports, jumping, takraw (a kind of volley played with feet, knees (using arms/elbows is prohibited) and the head). The scene in Tom Yum Goong in which I broke a light perched very high overhead used a Takraw mvovement. In my films, I try to use all the sports I have practised.

Eurasie : in Tom Yum Goong, did the director Prachya Pinkaew find inspiration from your family story to write a plot around elephants ?
Tony Jaa : Yes. like the film's hero, i come from a rural family. I own two female elephants : Dok Mai (Flower) and Bai Mai (leave). There are 60 and 56 years old. We have a strong connection with them, they are not considered like domestic animals but really like members of the family.

Eurasie : How are conisdered elephants in Thailand ?
Tony Jaa : They are really respected because they are the symbols of Thailand. Long ago, kings waged battles on the elephants back. Not on horses.

Eurasie : How do you define the evolution of your style between Ong-Bak and Tom Yum Goong : from Muay Thai to elephant boxing ?
Tony Jaa : You know, movements of Muay Thai are inspired by movements of a lot of animals. But almost never from the elephants. I wanted to repair this "injustice". For this film, I have observed their movements : how they used their trunks to catch food or to break a branch, how they lift up trees with their tusks... Then I adadpted them so they are fighting gestures.

Eurasie : Did your incredible performance in Ong-Bak make fans in Thailand ?
Tony Jaa : I made fans especially of Muay Thai : Thai People and also Westerners. But not necessarily in Muay Thai Boran that I use in Ong-Bak. Muay Thai Boran is the most traditionnal form used for war, while Muay Thai is the current sport form.

Eurasie : Do you think Muay Boran need a master unlike Muay Thai sport who need only a trainer ?
Tony Jaa : Exactly. Besides, Muay Thai Boran has different forms whether it comes from the North, Isaan, center or South. Every masters can develop movements that are different than the movements of the others. Even the modern Muay Thai has many variants.

Eurasie : Which qualities do you need to practise Martial Arts ?
Tony Jaa : To practise it, you have to observe nature since the youngest age : you have to work your physique as well as your mind. Whitout concentration, you can't beat your opponent. First you have to beat your own fear. Actually, Muay Thai Boran is a weapon to make war, it's extremly violent. For Ong-Bak, I used some gestures from this art. Then I have modified them so they were more nice, more "sweet" and more interesting. In one word, less violent !

Eurasie : Would you be interested to portray the life of famous Muay Thai warriors ?
Tony Jaa : Yes, by respect for those famous ancestors. Particularly, Nai Khanom Tom, Phra Jao Seua, Phya Phijai Daphak who were great Muay Thai warriors.

Eurasie : In Tom Yum Goong, you fight against foreign combatants who are already into cinema industry like the wrestler Nathan Jones or Johnny Nguyen. But, the Capoeira specialist is unknown. How did you meet him ?
Tony Jaa : Effectively, I have discovered those artists in films except the french, that I have discovered on a website. I thought that his Capoeira movements were interesting. I contacted him and asked him if he saw Ong-Bak, he said yes, and if he would be interested to work on Tom Yum Goong, he answered yes one more time. We get along very well because we were speaking a common language, the one about fights and Martial Arts.

Eurasie : How did you prepare the incredible fight scene against this Capoeirista ?
Tony Jaa : This scene was already existing in my mind, with water, burning fire and big water jet. I needed one month to prepare this scene and one week to film it.

Eurasie : Were they a lot of accidents during the filming ?
Tony Jaa : Yes, because there were a lot of risky scenes. During the filming of the scene where I climb a wall like Spiderman, I have torn a muscle. And during the scene where a bike turn above me : I have badly twisted my ankle ! But the most tiring scene was the one where I climb four floors in four minutes in running, in the restaurant...

Eurasie : How did you prepare this fight scene ? Because it's an uncut scene, you had to play whitout stopping.
Tony Jaa : It's certainly the scene who will stay emblematic  in this film, because there is no other action film with a planned-sequence of this length. We prepared it for one month, then filmed it in five days, with eight takes ! With only two shooting per day, the whole team had to be extremely precise and already ready. I had to stop the action on the third floor because the security staff wasn't already there. Another frustation moment : I was arrived on the 4th floor but the film spool was finished, I had to do it again from the beginning. All was precisely calculated. I'll remember this scene !

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