Jet Li Reveals the 3 Movies That Perfectly Convey His Life’s Message to the World
Jet Li is a martial arts movie star, with millions of fans of his movies in China, Hollywood, and around the world. During his career, Li had a religious epiphany that changed what mattered the most to him. Now, the 59-year-old believes three of his movies demonstrate his life’s message.
Jet Li’s incredible career
Li was born in Beijing, China in 1963. According to Biography, he’s been a star since he was very young. Li started studying a martial art called Wushu when he was eight years old. By the time he was 11, he won a national championship. As a member of the Beijing Wushu Team, Li traveled around the globe, meeting President Nixon in 1974.
After holding the title of All-Around National Wushu Champion for five years, he retired from the sport at 17 years old. The same year, Li moved into acting, appearing in the film Shaolin Temple. He quickly became a star in his native country.
In 1998, Li landed his first English-speaking role in Lethal Weapon 4. The response to his work was enthusiastic, opening up Hollywood roles to him as well. Li starred in movies such as Romeo Must Die, Kiss of the Dragon, and Cradle 2 the Grave.
Buddhism shaped Jet Li’s work — three of his movies in particular
As his fame increased, Li found that he was missing something. According to Asian Bite, he spoke to more than 20 Buddhist teachers, seeking a deeper understanding of life. He continued to struggle with the study until a traumatic event brought him a new understanding
When the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck, Li was on vacation with his family in Maldives. They all survived the event, with Li only sustaining a minor foot injury. When it was over, he saw the damage that had been done, and he remembered what he’d learned.
“The main idea taught by the different kinds of Buddhism,” Li explains, “is that the lower you put yourself on the priority level, the happier you become.” It shifted his priorities, and he became devoted to philanthropy.
It was also important for him to communicate what mattered to him to the world. Fortunately, Li’s newfound understanding appeared to translate well in movies. Li believes that the three films that best captured his values were Hero, Fearless, and Danny the Dog.
“Everything I want to say is in those three movies,” he said. “The message of Hero is that your personal suffering is not as important as the suffering of your country. The point of Danny the Dog is that violence is not a solution. Fearless is actually about personal growth — about a guy who decides that in the end, his greatest enemy is himself.”
Viewers responded well to Jet Li’s meaningful movies
The response to his thoughtful movies was positive. Hero, which was released in China, won an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. Fearless was similarly successful, hitting the No. 2 spot at the box office on its opening weekend. The two movies are among the top 10 most successful foreign language films of all time. Fearless clocks in at No. 7 and Hero at No. 3.
But despite how far martial arts have taken him in life, Li is practical about the limitations of the practice. In an essay, he explained his stance on guns and martial arts.
“If a robber holds a gun to you and wants your money, it is better to give him the money than to risk your life,” he said. “A gun outdoes years of martial arts training in a split second. Like I’ve said many times before, it is important to differentiate between movies and reality. The hero in movies may be able to knock the gun off his opponent and save the day, but in real life – probably that is not the case.”
Li may have started his career as a child, but over the years, his understanding of his faith and the world has matured as he did.
