Jet Li Explains the Secret of Self Defense | Late Night with Conan O’Brien

You are the fastest I've ever seen in a in a fight in a martial arts fight That is incredible and some of those moves in that clip you hit a guy's fist with your head I've never seen that before because I played a character. He's called Danny, right? He's like a dog. He's a beginning, right? He's like a dog. He's like a mad dog who just knows how to fight Yeah, he only know how to hurt people but right later on through Morgan Freeman's character through the music, right? He's done Morgan Freeman's character comes in and helps him sort of learn more But you know, I identify with that character. I too am a ferocious destructive machine Look into my eyes. You can see it. Can't you? Yeah, okay Need some Visine. Yeah You have you know, you have a secret of self-defense and it's it's interesting It's I heard that you had a secret of self-defense and I was expecting something about a move or something You said it's an attitude is your secret to self-defense. It's a smile a smile Yeah smile to people because the way you hurt people they will revenge and then you fight again again again never stop So I just smile make people happy then we will stop war. I Hate to disagree with you Jet Li But all through high school, I tried the smiling at people approach and I got hammered, you know I wish I'd had a few of your moves. There is a style a fighting style and I'm gonna mispronounce it I'm sure it's a sway chwin. Yeah, which is a which is the it's called the drunken style. Yes drunk style Why do they call it drunk style of fighting because we create as a movement like a physical like a drunk guy You know right physically but mentally is very clear But what would be the advantage of acting like a drunk person in a fight? I obviously I don't understand What would be the advantage of doing this style? You know when they punch you you sit back Oh, I see you make yourself all kind of rubbery. Yes, and then they hit you and you just sort of like yes You know, am I doing it? Well right now am I doing it? I don't see how this would help me in a fight exactly. So what you're telling me to do is smile and then go like this That's gonna get me into more fights in New York City You and I have something in common You don't like anyone messing with your hair. Is that true in a fight scene? You really don't like people touching your hair. Is that true? It's the joke, you know if I make a movie that her last, you know, take care of my hair I always part of me and bother me bother me that I say, okay Okay, one day I talk to people say you can beat me up. You can kill me, but don't touch my hair All right, right like you right? Yeah I hate when I'm about to go do the show a lot of people come out and they're always touching this beautiful thing and I'm Like leave it alone back off. Let the master do his thing. That's what I say When you don't laugh at that when you work When you it's very difficult when you work with people who are not martial artists other movie stars who haven't been trained You have to be extra careful with them. Don't you? Yes, of course Like the first time I work in the States lethal weapon floor with Mel Gibson with Mel Gibson You work with Mel Gibson. The director first time tell me is a jet you can do everything but it cannot hurt Mel Don't hurt now. Yeah, but the first day I work with Mel. I'm very exciting, you know work the huge start All right, move very quick Right after move me. I'll say wait a minute. How many hits how many movement right? It's a seven he said why only saw two right? I Can do that too, look how fast I am Because they were drunk. Yeah, I am drunk You can smell it Now you are you are you're 42 years old and you are in credible shape you seem like you'd be In the shape of like a 21 year old. How do you do that? How do you stay in shape like that? I meditate every day. Mm-hmm. And also I play some badminton badminton I'm not learning any of the things that I want to hear smile act drunk and play badminton What how has that does badminton really help you yeah, it really helped because You know, I can play and anywhere I go right, you know with when people it's enough, right? Not like a bad basketball, you know, you need the five people right right there, you know badminton You can play anywhere and it probably it's a good hand to eye coordination and control your body in a move, right? Right, that's that's fascinating. I'm gonna start taking a badminton and then people are gonna really beat me up Well, we mentioned this already but this movie unleashed it's interesting idea that you are basically someone who was trained in In the movie your character was never really taught to speak or communicate or have emotions Your character was just trained to be an attack dog and fight Yes, and then you end up meeting Morgan Freeman and he tries to help you but through a good part of the movie You have to be someone who in for all intents and purposes is a vicious animal. How did you train for that as an actor? How did you prepare I played more than 30 movies always play tough guy, right? First time I play in a mentally only 10 years old, right? I need the first thing I need to work with the acting coach forget who who jelly is right now I just forget forget gently completely become this other person earning this Denny's world, right? But I stay in this world for seven months. I Got a very painful, you know, I got a very hurt afterwards. I The whole year I didn't make movies So nice because it was such a drain to do this one character that afterwards you decide I'm not gonna make a movie for a year I just have a very painful right character, right right to be that person and also must be hard for the people around you Yes when you're Because you become these characters and then other people have to you don't you take it home with you at the end of the day Of shooting probably. Yeah, you know my lawyer my manager everybody say hey jet. This is the next movie We want to talk about I say get out of here. I'm Danny. I'm not jelly. I don't want to talk a movie business I only focus on the here. I'm right. Right, right, right. Well, they live in Hollywood. Um, they're in the industry I'm sure they know what an attack dog is like, so they'll be fine, but it must be still very weird for them I would think you know for people to be around you when you're in that kind of phase Yes, very hard for them you When you first came to the United States from China, yeah, you you performed this is 1974 is that right? Yes you performed as part of a show at the White House and the president was was President Nixon at the time and during that period of time there were very Hostile cold relationships between the United States and China when you came to this country They and you stayed in a hotel room They they bugged your room. Is that true? Yeah that I heard in when I was in China, right because at that time two countries never close They don't understand each other. So but I and they and so they went to the hotel I try to say there's have real have back in the day somewhere Right, I talked to the mirror talk to flowers. Hey, I want a chocolate You want chocolate you want ice cream? Yeah, I want a banana. Yeah, so next morning, you know where I go to the demonstration I go back open the door. I Shocked everything. I watered Just really they got it for you. Well, that's very nice. I must have made you think well United States not so bad At least there it's like you're a jack-in-the-box. At least they're listening. That's nice well unleashed opens next Friday and Really? Very cool to meet you. I've always really wanted to have you on the show. So thank you so much for being here We're gonna check in with Jose and Dan at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City And I think they've got Sammy Hagar is doing a guest Pull for us. There we go. Let's see What's up, I'm gonna win you some money brother Thank you very much Sammy Hagar everybody, yeah This is getting very very exciting. All right. Thank you gently Jennifer Esposito coming up. We'll take a break. We'll be right back