Movies - TV
Jet Li's Reputation Caused Some Problems On The Set Of Fearless
By J. GABRIEL WARE
Regarded as one of the greatest martial arts films of all time, 2006’s “Fearless” stars Jet Li as real-life martial artist Huo Yuanjia, who becomes a hero to the Chinese people during their struggle to be free from Western imperialism. However, being a martial arts legend, some co-stars were intimidated by Li, leading to a near-fatal accident on set.
In one scene in the film, Huo fights his childhood bully Zhao Jian (Ma Zhongxuan) on top of a wooden tower, and Huo accidentally knocks his old rival off a platform and onto the ground below. Director Ronny Yu said that Li wanted all the fight scenes to be as "real" as possible, but everyone was afraid to fight him, including a certain stunt man.
Yu explained that the stunt man “wanted to do [the fight scene] quick” and accidentally pushed Li, causing both men to fall to the ground below and miss the mattress put there for their safety. Yu said, “Luckily, it was grassland and soft mud,” but this wasn't the first time Li was injured on a set, and eventually, his injuries led to his retirement.