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Relative newcomer Tony Jaa (his
actual given name is Panom Yeerum), the Thai kick-boxing hero of "Ong
Bak" is a man of few words even when filtered through the friendly
translation of a Thai interpreter. Trained in both Muay Thai and
Buddhism, Jaa makes such an impression that he's being hailed as the
Bruce Lee of kick-boxing. using the story of a martial arts-trained
student of the local Buddhist master sent by his village to recover the
head of their scared Buddha statuette stolen by a member of a criminal
gang based in Bangkok. Fans of this film are already pumping for a
sequel of this film created by director Prachya Pinkaew to showcase
Jaa's talents. Jaa was born in northeastern Thailand, and dreamed of
becoming an action star as a young boy of twelve. His father, a
stuntman, allowed Tony to visit him in between school semesters to train
in stunt work. Jaa also trained in Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, swordplay and
gymnastics. At the tender age of 15, Jaa trained under Panna Rittikrai,
one of the top stuntmen in Thailand. After becoming a provincial gold
medalist Tony Jaa entered the world of entertainment, first working as a
stuntman for both local and foreign productions. Eventually Jaa was
picked up and performed stunts in movies and shows, most notably, as
Robin Shou's stunt double in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Most of
today's stuntmen use wires and CGI effects to enhance the movies action
but Jaa doesn't need any of these things as he is a true marvel of all
things that would appear to be physically impossible. Tony Jaa is not
only an exceptionally gifted action hero, he also designed many of the
stunts for Ong-Bak and Tom-Yum-Goong.
UPBEAT Are you
surprised by the reaction of the Americans to your films?
Tony Jaa "Very surprised. I never
thought it would come this far."
UPBEAT What philosophical elements did you bring to the films?
Tony Jaa "Well... 'Ong-bak' deals with
the way of life of the Thai people and we wanted to provide a variety of
flavors for the audience as well as depict the traditions of the way of
life of the Thai people."
UPBEAT What are your thoughts about Buddhism?
Tony Jaa "Muay Thai is highly involved
with religion and Buddhism because it's tied to Thai religion and Thai
culture. And with that it teaches the humanity and humility that is
offered in the sport and a lot of the traditions involved in Muay Thai
are in a lot of Buddhist traditions like the Y cu ceremony that begins
before you go to fight which pays respect to the elders and the master.
It's also important to have the inner strength within you and the
meditation, which comes from the practice."
UPBEAT Have you studied other forms of Buddhism as well?
Tony Jaa "I've only been able to study
the Buddhism that is here in Thailand. My family has a strong belief in
Buddhism. No matter what religion you are, they all teach you to be a
good person."
 UPBEAT
You are already a skilled kick boxer but do you plan to study any other
forms of martial arts apart from Muay Thai?
Tony Jaa "I love every type of martial
arts, no matter what country it's from, and if I do have an opportunity
I would love to go and study those arts. When you study martial arts you
want to be able to present it to the rest of the world and I've
developed a philosophy when I studied the martial arts. I study martial
arts not to win over my opponent but to win over my own heart. So when
you study martial arts, no matter what kind, and you go deep into it
you'll learn this love. And love for others no matter what country
you're from. We had already prepared for the shooting of the action
scenes from Thailand. We designed the action movements and then put them
in camera so that the director and his team could see how it would all
come out. There are attacking, defending and safety movements, which
made it easy for everyone involved. I think, overall, the action scenes
really look grand and beautiful. The action shorts are plenty and
various in style. I think the audience enjoys them."
UPBEAT Would you like to do a movie with other famous martial artists...
guys like Jackie Chan or Jet Li?
Tony Jaa "Definitely; if I had the
opportunity I would. I want to present every type of art."
UPBEAT Who is your favorite martial artist?
Tony Jaa "I would love to work with
anybody, especially Jet Li because Jet Li studies Buddhism as well."
 UPBEAT
Do you feel your movies will help people have more of an awareness of
Thailand's culture?
Tony Jaa "Definitely. I wanted to
present another perspective of the good way of life of the Thai people
and Muay Thai as a form of art and actually what makes us really proud.
I believe that before Muay Thai was a very steady sport in Thailand,
after 'Ong-bak' was released more people wanted to study Muay Thai. And
that was our goal. And one of our other goals is to make the world know
more about Muay Thai. And what makes me more proud is people can hear
more of the Thai language. Another thing that I've learned from touring
with 'Ong-bak,' you see the reaction of the fans when they watch the
movie and its just a heartwarming feeling you receive no matter what
language or race you are... you feel the same feeling. I want to show
the fans the best of what Thailand is to the world. We are a very
peaceful people."
UPBEAT Do you want to make movies in places other than Thailand?
Tony Jaa "It's all very exciting. But
right now I want to establish my roots in Thailand and make quality
films there. I just finished my second film, 'Tom Yum Goong.' I want to
continue to make great films for the whole world to see. Since I was a
child I would watch these films by my heroes. And to actually do and see
these things [involved with filmmaking] it's like, if I didn't have the
determination I had as a child I wouldn't be here today. And to look
back and reflect on that I realize it takes a lot of experience. I've
had the opportunity to watch a lot of Thai films. I love to watch films
no matter where they are from. You can get something out of a film and
present it in a new way in the form of the art of film."
UPBEAT Do you have any advice for others wanting to study Buddhism?
Tony Jaa "Buddhism is something that is
positive and good in carrying out our way of life. You may know when you
were born but you don't know when you're going to die so now you should
do every good deed you can do. And most importantly you should give back
to your parents."
Out of traditional garb
and into some comfortable sweat clothes, you'd never even begin to
assume that this soft-spoken, humble, laid-back, spiritual man could
very well be one of the most extraordinary martial artists in the world.
Now that Jaa has reached the United States, audiences will inevitably
have the unique opportunity to decide whether Jaa deserves to be
officially crowned as the next Bruce Lee. As for all of us here at
UPBEAT Entertainment News Syndicate... Tony Jaa is well beyond even his
closest competition on levels that most martial arts enthusiasts could
never comprehend. UB
 
This entire interview was actually
conducted at The New York Film Festival via a very well-versed Thai
translator, who literally paraphrased most of Tony Jaa's responses as he
speaks very little English; but he does indeed understand it. This
content has been rewritten and edited for better comprehension.
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