Jet Li’s Life-Changing Experience: How a Tsunami Helped Him Realize the Power of Giving
Jet Li may have become one of the most famous actors in the world. But the martial arts master has certainly seen his share of ups and downs, both in the industry and outside of it. In fact, one harrowing story helped him realize exactly how little all his fame would help him. Here’s what happened and how it had a profound effect on the course of Li’s life going forward.
Jet Li’s iconic movies include ‘Fearless,’ ‘Hero,’ and ‘The One’
Right from his 1982 film debut in Shaolin Temple, Li left a major impression on audiences. Before long, the actor made his directorial debut in 1986’s Born to Defence. In the 1990s, he established himself as a regular star of period epics such as the Once Upon a Time in China series, Fist of Legend, Zhang Yimou’s Academy Award-nominated Hero, and 2006’s Fearless.
And with 1998’s Lethal Weapon 4, Li headed for Hollywood. The action superstar played the villain in that film opposite Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. In the years that followed, he starred in movies such as 2000’s Romeo Must Die, 2001’s The One, 2003’s Kiss of the Dragon, all three films to date in The Expendables franchise, and most recently, Disney’s live-action Mulan.
A tsunami inspired the actor to start The One Foundation
In a gripping account Li wrote for Newsweek, he details how a 2004 vacation in the Maldives with his family led them to find themselves underwater. And it all led to an epiphany that culminated with the creation of Li’s own charity devoted to disaster relief.
“I thought that if God had saved me, it must mean something. That day in the Maldives was a real turning point for me. I had spent the first 41 years of my life thinking about Jet Li first, wanting to prove I was special, wanting to prove I was a star. Everything I’d done was self-centered. In that lobby, however, I saw people of different colors, speaking different languages, helping each other. It was very much like in the movies, with people putting women, children and the elderly first, and I thought that if everybody helps, if everybody does a little bit, it will make a big difference. I also realized that all the money and power in the world would not have saved me from the water. That night I decided that I couldn’t wait until I was retired; I had to do something right away. A few days later I announced my plans to start the One Foundation.”
In 2007, Li finally set up the One Foundation. Rather than being a reactionary charity that collects money after a disaster strikes, Li’s aimed to have money already waiting to disperse. As he says, his “formula is very simple: one person + one yuan per month = one big family.”
Why isn’t Jet Li in movies anymore?
Many of Li’s fans have noted his absence from movies over the past few years. Aside from 2020’s Mulan, the actor’s most recent movie was 2016’s League of Gods. He isn’t set to return for The Expendables 4, which hits theaters in 2023 with Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham.
Perhaps Li just chooses instead to spend his time serving something bigger than himself. By now, the actor is essentially retired from acting. As he said, that experience in the Maldives was a transformational one that clearly changed his perspective on life.
