Tony Jaa
By Cole Smithey
Muay-Thai martial arts phenomenon Tony Jaa follows up his impressive debut in "Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior" as Kham, a Muay-Thai fighter whose quiet life in the forests of Thailand is torn apart by an Asian gang that steals his family’s two pet elephants. Kham travels to Australia to recover the pachyderms and has to fight an army of men to find them. Although the plot is elementary at best, the fight sequences are beautifully choreographed and Tony Jaa’s onscreen charisma and physical talents are astonishing to behold. In the realm of fresh martial arts movie stars, no one holds a candle to Tony Jaa.
I sat down with Tony and his English translator in Manhattan, where I found the most thrilling martial artist next to Jet Li to be a soft spoken and kind-hearted gentleman.
CS: There are a lot a dangerous fight scenes in "The Protector." Did you get hurt at any point when you were making this movie?
TJ: I never had any broken bones. I tore my muscle in one of the jumping scenes when I was trying to escape from one bad guys and it put me out of commission for two days, so they had to stop production. But typical of any sport that you play. There are minor injuries: bruises, swelling, nose bleeds, sprained ankles– things like that.
CS: What is your training regime like?
TJ: When I’m training for a film, it’s about eight hours per day. It includes including training in the martial arts, choreography, designing new moves, strength training, and stretching.
CS: Are you studying to speak English?
TJ: I’m trying to learn. Right now I don’t have a lot of time. I watch [English language] movies and try to like follow the subtitles.
CS: What’s your next movie?
TJ: My next project is "Ong-Bak Two." It’s gonna be a period piece that I’m directing for the first time and also staring in. I basically want to take the image that’s in my head and project it out for viewers to see.
CS: When is "Ong-Bak Two" due to come out?
TJ: It should open next year in Thailand before coming to the U.S.
CS: I’m sure everyone notices Jackie Chan when you guys walk past each other in "The Protector"?
TJ: (Laughs) That actually wasn’t Jackie Chan in the movie. The director found someone who resembles Jackie Chan, and tricked a lot of people.
CS: Have you ever met Jackie Chan?
TJ: Jackie was filming in Thailand and I had the chance to meet him, but this was before "Ong-Bak" was filmed– so before I was famous. (Laughter).
CS: What’s your favorite martial arts movie?
TJ: "The Drunken Master," "The Way of The Dragon," "Fists of Fury," and Charlie Chaplin movies.
CS: Are you still living in Thailand?
TJ: Yes, in Bangkok. I moved into a new house, and built a new home for my parents in my hometown of Surin.
CS: What do you do when you’re not training?
TJ: I go to movies with my friends, sing karaoke, I go to temple, meditate. I don’t have a lot of free time.
CS: How are your plans are proceeding to open an elephant sanctuary?
TJ: I was born into a family that has raised elephants from a long time ago. I have two elephants—one is named Lee and one is named Flower. I created a forest for them and right now the sanctuary is really for the two elephants.
CS: Can you tell me about some of the traditional Muay-Thai fighting movements that you use in the movie?
TJ: There is still the use of elbows and knees, combined with gymnastics. Something that people might want to look at is that I’ve incorporated elephant moves in Muay-Thai characterizing an elephant tusk or elephant trunk with my hands and feet.
CS: Do you study any martial arts other than Muay-Thai?
TJ: When I was studying physical education at the university level, I dabbled into Tai Kwon Do, Judo, gymnastics, and other sports using traditional Thai weapons.
CS: Are you still studying with your Muay-Thai teacher?
TJ: I don’t study with my teacher anymore, but I consult with my friends and we constantly trade off ideas.
CS: How has your sudden fame and popularity affected your life?
TJ: There have definitely been changes for both good and bad. It’s good having increased awareness with the audience of Thailand, the Thai film industry, and in my sport Muay-Thai. On the other hand, when you become a movie star there’s decreased independence– there are more schedules. I have to spend a lot of time filming, training, promoting everything, and doing press interviews. (Laughs)
