By Jenny Halper in New York City

Beijing-born superstar Jet Li has been a Hollywood fixture since 1998’s “Lethal Weapon 4.” But “Unleashed,” which is written and produced by Luc Besson (“The Professional”) presented a different challenge to the martial arts wizard- not only did Li have to fight lethal assassins and pummel heavyweight champions, he had to stretch his acting muscles, too.

Li plays ‘Danny the Dog,' an orphan trained by gangster/master Bart (Bob Hoskins) to kill on command. When Danny is adopted by a kindly piano tuner (Morgan Freeman) he begins to see violence from a very different perspective. Li recently spoke with New York press about practicing Buddhism, working on “Unleashed,” and those tricky martial arts moves.

Q: Are those your Buddhist prayer beads you have with you?

JET: Yes.

Q: "Unleashed" is extremely violent, but it has some the best fighting scenes ever. Does this movie sending a message to people that violence is wrong?

JET: That's what I believe. The character of Danny in the beginning is mentally only eight years old, but physically he's so strong. He doesn't understand life. So he hurts a lot of people. Morgan Freeman's character with the music brings him back and he becomes a normal person. People are different than animals. Animals are selfish. They only eat and sleep and survive. People care about each other though. They care about friendship, family, responsibility. That's why Danny wasn't normal. The first time through the music was when Danny felt family and friends, and sweet love. So this is why I believe, even though the movie in the beginning is very violent, very because animal fighting is just violent. By the end of the movie, I think the message I'm trying to say is that violence isn't the only solution. I mean, think about it. Usually, the action film is about the tough guy who saves people, saves his neighbors. He's tough. Violence against violence. But this movie says even though you're physically very strong and you can hurt people, you don't understand life. He's saved by the music because of Morgan who shows all the love, all the family, all the warm side of the human being. So he saved my life.

Q: Your fighting style is very different in this film than we've seen from you before. Would you call it more of a street fight style?

JET: Yes. More like that.

Q: Is the style of your fighting different than before because martial arts master Woo Ping's choreography designed the fights that way?

JET: I think that for the martial arts used on this film, we used a different kind because we had a different story, and a different character. For this character, he's a dog in the beginning. So we needed to design what kind of martial arts he'd use, what kind of world was in Danny's head. So we looked at a lot of animals, and when animals fight they only look at one thing first. They'll knock that down and then they'll consider the second. But martial artists, they fight you and they look at the others and they move around. Woo Ping did a wonderful job, I think, in how to build a martial art to help this character. But when slightly understood life he started to control his body. He doesn't want to hurt. By the end of the movie he totally controls his body.

Q: There are a lot more repeated, single punches in the fight sequences. Was that part of the change?

JET: Yes. That's the dog fight. A dog thinks, 'Whatever I can do, using my hands.' Knocking him down is the only thought in the dog's head."

Q: Do people ever want to fight with you?

JET: In real life? No. Never.

Q: You did an incredible acting job in this movie. Did Morgan Freeman help you at all? Did you learn a lot by playing opposite him?

JET: I think that he helped me a lot. Working with this kind of good, genius, talented actor, Bob Hoskins and him, they make Danny believe that that's his life. Usually on a set, everyone has heard this, but everyone will say, 'Oh, you're so good.' Everyone just talks a lot and not always about work.But Morgan, everyday, he'd open the door, look at the set and go, 'Where's Jet? Can you tell me what we're going to do today?' So we were quiet and no one talked. We went to Danny's world and we just made ourselves believe that we were there, in their world.

Q: Recently, on a talk show, they aired footage of you performing for President Nixon and Kissinger. Where did they get that footage from?

JET: ABC News. We've talked about it many times. One guy went back to '74 and he found the news tape for eight minutes. It's about eight minutes.

Q: How old were you back then?

JET: Eleven years old.

Q: Was that when you won the All-Around National Wushu Champion of China?

JET: Yeah.

Q: Was that a special fight performance for you out of all the thousands that you've done?

JET: Yeah, that was a special one.

Q: Was it special because you were in front of the President of the United States?

JET: Yes, because I was representing China and I came here to do a demonstration. I remember many big things. In the White House, I made a demonstration and a lot of people in the beginning thought that we were their enemy. I think that it was one year later there was another president, I think that it was President Ford went to China and I also saw him. I saw another president, Carter, who went to China. So I'm the person, like in the beginning, who opened two country doors. So that's why every President that went to China I would meet them and have dinner and talk about the past and talk about the future. That was in the '70s.

Q: Would you say that your career is changing at this point, in that Jet Li wants his movies to have a message for his fans and for the world?

JET: I think that I need to talk about that in '97, I tried to retire because I had enough money to take my family. I was quite famous in Asia. So I thought, 'Where is the human life? How far away did it go? If I think that money is not good enough, how can I compete. Never.' So everything in my mind was to think about my life, and at the time I was talking to my Buddhist master. He loves Buddha. He said, 'Jet, you cannot retire. You need to continue to work and you need to figure out your responsibility, not just for yourself. You're good enough for yourself, but not the world.' I said, 'What?' He said, 'Figure it out yourself.' He did something special, some powerful things. I went back home and the phone rings and Warner Brothers said, 'Here's a first class ticket. Come to the States. Come here.' So that day changed my life, and I started a new career here, and I make movies. But I never stopped studying Buddhism. In the past few years, in between movies I do a retreat. I went to India and learned about life. I'm learning more about the world. I spend more time learning about Buddhism than English which is why my English today is still bad. I study more of what I think is truth and enlightening. We have a lot of young people who are there, a lot of people who are looking at you. You're not just making money for yourself and be more famous. A lot of people follow you. What I can say to them, and a lot of people say, 'Hey, Jet Li you're kick ass! You're cool.' In the beginning, you're happy about that. I was very happy. But later on I considered, 'Wow. The Chinese people only know how to kick ass? Nothing else.' This is why I said, 'Maybe we'll use a different angle to see action.' Action is good, but it's not the only good thing. This is why I made 'Hero' and 'Unleashed.' Right now I'm making a movie in China that also talks about my philosophy, my beliefs. I had to go the next level to talk about life. Martial arts is cool, but the love is cooler, cooler, cooler than the martial arts. That's what I want to talk about to the younger audience, that I believe that.

Q: What is it about Buddhism that people should understand?

JET: It studies more about the universe and how the human beings work and why we have suffering, why we're happy and why everything. When we grow up all the information, where I am in the beginning, all the information that you have is from your parents and the school saying, 'You need to do the best. You need to be special and you'll more power and have more money.' Everything is looking outside to compete. Everything is in the world. But we never look inside. That's why a lot of people complain a lot, women complain about husbands, complain about the children, the husband complains about the wife, complaining something. They never think about anything inside as being more important than the outside. For example, there's a lot of water on the table. You say, 'Water is better than coffee.' He says, 'Beer is better than water.' Everyone has their different opinion because they're experiences are different. They're lives are different. Just the water, by itself, it never says I'm better than this or this is better. I think that it makes you understand more about life, and study and calm down and learn more about why we're here.

Q: What is the movie that you're making in China about?

JET: The movie, we don't have an English subtitle about, but it's like 'Fists of Legend.' This time he's talking about his master. I use the master to talk about my own story. Like, I've been in martial arts for more than thirty years and making movies for more than twenty five years, and so all I thought about growing up was the power, how I could use martial arts, where is Kung Fu, where is Wushu, what about life? All of that I put in the story.

Q: Did you come up with the story yourself?

JET: Well, I had a lot of writers work with me. Steven (Chassman) is working with me. He did 'Crouching Tiger' and 'Hero.' He's my partner and we both produced this film. A lot of ideas come from my personal life.

Q: What is the film based on?

JET: "'Fists of Legend."' It's the character that Bruce Lee played, we talk about his master.

Q: How pleased with you with the reaction to this film with its release on the international level?

JET: "'Unleashed?' In Paris, it's good, very good. In the other countries it hasn't opened yet. We got a little bit of trouble in China because of the poster. Some people look at the poster, because Bob Hoskins is above me, trying to stab me. So, a lot of people in China think if Jet Li is the hero, 'Why is he stabbed by a white guy?'"

Q: Do you think that this is probably the best dramatic performance you've ever given in a film?

JET: I don't know. This is the hardest movie that I've ever made. It took years to do this, because it was really hard for me. I tried very hard to act. I used my heart to make this film. No one wanted to make this movie in the States because I never proved that I could act. This is why a lot of people said, 'Jet, you want to do drama? You want to do more action?' The reality is that for the business you need to prove even if you're famous in Asia. I'd never proved that I could make an English movie. You don't complain. I never want to complain. I tried my best to do an English action film. If you prove that already why would I want to prove another one? I try to prove more with this movie. In the theater I try to prove more. I tell the younger audience, a lot of people in China not to complain. The biggest enemy is yourself. Do it. Prove to me. If I'm the president, if I'm the studio I don't give you the roles for drama because that goes to Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks or whatever. 'Comedies I give to Jim Carrey. Why would I give it to Jet Li. Jet Li does action. I give you a chance to make action.' So if you prove that you can do the other in the future, of course, the businessmen or the people can decide because it's already proved. But people usually complain, 'Why won't they give me the chance? Why? Why? Why?' especially younger people. So I tell them to prove to the world that they can do something. I don't know if this is my best performance or not. This is my philosophy. I try my best during the shooting. The results I cannot control. Some people like it, some people don't for sure. The world has to balance. You can't make a hundred percent of the people in the world to like, never.

Q: Did Luc Besson come to you with the idea for "Unleashed?"

JETL No. In the beginning he showed me some scripts, some ideas, and I said, 'I don't want to make it because I saw that movie before.' I've seen a lot of things before already. It was like another action movie, a cop or something, Asian does something, master does something, the Mafia does something. I said, 'I've seen that too many times. I donít want to look at it. I want to do a movie that I've never had a chance to play in.' That's the first thing that I asked Luc and the second thing was that violence wasn't the only solution. That's what I wanted to do. What it was going to be, I don't know. So, two days later he came back and said, 'Jet, I have an idea. You'll play a dog and you're saved by the music.' I said, 'A dog saved by the music? Sounds interesting.' (laughs) Then we started. I liked
the idea and we started. In real life I saw that kind of people. I've talked to him before. Some martial arts in the world have trained since they were little, trained by their coach and they only listen to their coach. They just do whatever. They want to be a champion. They want to work very hard. In their minds they're like children. Physically they're very strong and they're like giants. I fight with them and they're too big, but every morning I say, 'Okay, go to shooting. Go to work.' They say, 'No. I want my eggs.' 'How many?' 'Seven. Seven eggs. Eggs and a banana.' If he didn't eat eggs and a banana he didn't work. Really, just like a child. Then I say, 'Okay, go to the set. Camera, action, go!' He doesn't move. He's only had his coach tell him that. 'One, two, three, go!' Right away, he goes. The director, everyone says, 'Move, move, action!' He's still there because he's only trained that way, he only knows his coach. 'One, two, three, go!' And he attacks you. So this kind of person we know. We're talking about a lot of people in the world.

Q: Are you planning on any more films in the U.S.?

JET: Yeah. I have some offers in the next few years. There's a lot of things. Three years ago I talked with Luc and I wanted to make this film and I said after this that I wanted to a light comedy, family film for the summer. He's writing that and is almost finished. I don't know when we're going to make it, but it'll be a very cool movie for children. PG."

Q: Do you have a dream vacation you'd like to take?

JET: Finally, we took a vacation with my two daughters and my wife and we go to Maldives (on the Asian coast) and the next morning the tsunami comes. That day, I brought my two daughters and baby sitter to the swimming pool in the morning. Then the water came and I saw the water coming and I didn't realize that it was that bad. I was like, 'OK, the water's coming.' My daughters stood in the water and then I saw that something was wrong. Suddenly, the water was very fast and I held my daughters, held them and we and the baby sitter ran away. A few more steps and the water came up to my chest. Then I saw it was very bad. I looked back and the swimming pool was gone. The houses were gone. The tree was gone and I was standing in the ocean. It was serious shit.

Q: You could've been killed...

JET: Yeah! A few more steps and the water was up to my mouth. I tried very hard to protect my daughter, but the water still picked up the babysitter and the younger daughter and they were gone, but I found them in front of me about ten steps and the people who worked at the hotel had come out to save them. Then I was fighting with the water. There were a lot of tables around me. I used my legs and everything to protect my daughter. I considered it, and there were a lot of Buddhist ideas that life is like. When you have to fight with nature you're very close to death. That's why I believe that half of my life has past. I'm forty-two years old and so in the other half of my years, I want to do something for the world to payback. I really believe that from my heart. My wife and my family lived. So I want to do something and I already started donating money to a hospital in China and in Tibet, a school. I will continue to not just do movies, but use my public person because people have given me a lot of nice things in the world. So I need to payback that in the future.

“Unleashed” opens on May 13th.