The Mainland’s New Leading Man: Leon Lee Steps Into the Spotlight

Kyle Mullin | Jul 18, 2014 9:00 am | Add a comment | 4074 reads

He can act. He can fight. His MMA moves work for scripted onscreen duels and real life boxing bouts. But Leon Lee isn’t your stereotypical, Chinese kung fu action hero. The Chongqing-born, Beijing-based rising star tells us about being compared to Brad Pitt by the head of the Sundance Film Festival and ducking the clichés and bad habits that have long hampered Chinese cinema.

Hollywood has been very complimentary of you. Geoff Gilmore, the Chairman of the Sundance Film Festival, even called you the “Chinese Brad Pitt.”
I’m really flattered. But that compliment only came from this short film I did called The Final of the Double Tap. My role was like the one Brad played in Thelma and Louise. There’s a lot of black humor in it. It was a really fun low budget film, and it even got nominated for a Chinese Golden Rooster award for best short.

Do you think the future for young Chinese film stars lies in independent movies or high-profile blockbusters?
I’m open to all kinds of characters and stories. I had a great experience working on Streets of Fury with director Gary Hymes (famed for coordinating the stunts on Jurassic Park and Scarface). He let me try everything – car racing, shooting, jumping from a motorcycle to a truck. I loved playing the hero, just like my dreams as a kid. But independent films let you explore yourself through deeper characters.

Has your stunt work and MMA training added anything to your acting?
MMA has helped me a lot, but not in the way most people might think. Western audiences tend to stereotype Chinese stars – thinking only of kung fu and Bruce Lee. But I love mixed martial arts because as an actor, you have a lot of pressure, and it helps me release stress.

Did you learn anything useful during your time at Beijing Film Academy?
Directors used to complain that I had too strong of a southern accent, so the academy helped me with my pronunciation. But for me, acting is all about being observant and sensing the world that you live in.

In what ways have you seen Chinese audiences mature?
China’s making sci-fi films and huge comedies now. It’s not just martial arts movies anymore. Xu Zheng’s latest (The Great Hypnotist) was this complicated thriller and it was a huge hit (grossing USD 44 million). Chinese people aren’t fooled by shitty films anymore. They will drive the market forward. It’s time for the audience to make the decisions.

Follow Leon Lee at weibo.com/chaoslee6.